Accident kills worker on Taiwan set of Martin Scorsese film

One worker was killed and two others injured Thursday in an accident on a film set being prepared for the Martin Scorsese movie “Silence.”

The Taiwanese worker died when the ceiling collapsed in an 83-year-old structure on the set, one of the film’s producers said. The two who were injured were also Taiwanese.

Eight workers were preparing to fortify the structure at the Chinese Culture and Movie Center when the incident occurred, said producer Lee Liang-shan. Buildings at the film center resemble traditional Chinese architecture.

Neither Scorsese nor other core crew members were on site at the time, Lee said.

Scorsese is set to direct the historical drama about two Jesuit priests who meet resistance in 17th century Japan when they try to spread their religion. The film, based on a book by Shusaku Endo, is set for U.S. release next year with a cast that includes Adam Driver, Andrew Garfield and Liam Neeson.

Scorsese, who has directed 58 films including “The Wolf of Wall Street” and “Gangs of New York,” is in Taiwan for a filming schedule that the island’s semiofficial news agency described as confidential.

Members of movie’s crew will reach out to relatives of the victims before planning how to proceed with filming, Lee said. “The priority now is on comforting the family members,” he said.

The incident is unlikely to affect efforts in Taipei, the capital, or elsewhere in Taiwan to bring in foreign film crews, a city official said.

“This is a one-off case,” said Taipei Department of Culture spokeswoman Lee Lee-chu. “It has no effect on the assistance we give to foreign film crews, and we’ll still keep working with them.”

Jennings is a special correspondent.