A freak accident on the set of ‘LA’s Finest,’ an upcoming cop drama starring Gabrielle Union and Jessica Alba, has thrown the future of the series into uncertainty.
Co-showrunner Brandon Sonnier was severely injured along with fellow executive producer and showrunner Brandon Margolis during the shooting of an outdoor scene at San Pedro’s Port of Los Angeles on February 21 when a stunt car hit a cargo crate that rammed into the video village tent where the two showrunners were watching the scene on monitors.
The incident was first reported by Deadline.
Both showrunners were taken to hospitals. Margolis was released, but Sonnier’s injuries were so extensive that doctors reportedly had to remove his leg just below the knee, according to Deadline.
‘LA’s Finest’, a 13-episode spin-off of the ‘Bad Boys’ film franchise starring Will Smith and Martin Lawrence, was in its last week of production and shooting a scene for the show’s season finale when the incident occurred.
The show was scheduled to launch Charter Communications’ premium content initiative, Spectrum Originals, and is that platform’s first original scripted series. It is scheduled to premiere May 13.
Sony Pictures Television, which is producing the series, declined to comment. Sony Pictures TV executives Jeff Frost, Chris Parnell and Jason Clodfelter released a statement after the accident saying that their “hearts go out to our SPT family members who were injured and we pray for a full recovery.”
Representatives for Union and Alba, who are also listed as executive producers, did not respond to requests for comment.
Sonnier and Margolis co-developed the series, which sees Union reprise her character, Syd Barnett, from ‘Bad Boys II’.
In the series, Syd joins the LAPD and is paired with Detective Nancy McKenna (Alba).
