Harrison Ford To Take Six Month Break From Filming ‘Star Wars’ [Report]

Harrison Ford has months of recovery ahead following a broken leg on the set of Star Wars, according to British publication The Sun. The paper reported Saturday that Ford is still being treated at an Oxford hospital, but plans to fly back to the U.S. for rehab.

The report comes two days after Ford’s publicist confirmed the actor’s injury, suffered on set and originally thought to be a broken ankle, was actually a broken leg and required surgery. Ina Treciokas said in a statement:

His surgery was successful and he will begin rehab shortly. He’s doing well and looks forward to returning to work.

As previously reported by The Inquisitr, little information was released from the set about how serious Ford’s injury was, and the true scope of the accident was slow to come out.

The latest Sun report claims Ford’s leg was outfitted with metal plates. He’s said to plan to return home to work with a physiotherapist. Harrison’s wife Calista Flockhart flew to Oxford after the accident and will reportedly fly back with him as he begins rehab.

According to a source quoted by The Sun, filming of Star Wars might be extended to give the actor, who turns 72 on July 13, time to recover. The unnamed source said:

Shooting is continuing, but Harrison won’t be back for months… the film company is looking into extending filming well into the second half of this year to allow Ford time to get back on his feet.

This is in contradiction to statements made by Disney, now owner of Lucasfilm, the production company behind Star Wars. Disney said Thursday filming would continue as normal while Ford recovers.

When the U.K. Mirror profiled Harrison Ford last September, writer John Hiscock noted his fitness and good health – looking a decade younger than his age. Ford claimed no stay-young tips or any formal fitness regimen. He said, “The best advice I can give is choose your parents wisely because in my case it’s a lucky genetic accident.” And of his still-active movie career:

I think retirement’s for old people.

At that time, Ford was mum on the rumors of a new installment of the Star Wars franchise. In late April, the cast of the seventh film was announced through the release of a picture of a script read-through. Ford and other alumni – Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill and Anthony Daniels among them – were spotted in the photo.

The release date for the new Star Wars film is currently December 18, 2015.

[Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP]