Filming for the film The Witches , starring actress Anne Hathaway, was temporarily shut down on Wednesday at the Warner Bros. Studios in Leavesden, Hertfordshire, England, following a fight between a rigger and a stage hand, reported The Daily Mail .
Around 100 crew members were on site of the iconic studio famous for the filming of the Harry Potter franchise when the fight broke out between the two men at around 12:30 pm.
The Hertfordshire police confirmed the incident.
“Police were called at around 12:35 pm today (Wednesday, June 19) to reports of an incident at Warner Brothers Studios in Leavesden. One man sustained a neck injury and was taken to hospital by ambulance. A second man was arrested on suspicion of wounding with intent to do grievous bodily harm and is currently in police custody.”
The spokesperson for the police force added that the men involved were believed to know each other personally and that an inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the incident is being carried out.
Information divulged about the stabbing reveals that the stage hand, aged somewhere in his 30s, was stabbed in the neck with a Stanley knife.
Warner Bros have signed on #AnneHathaway to star as the Grand High Witch in its adaptation of #TheWitches . Based on the 1973 novel by #RoaldDahl , the film follows a 7-year-old boy who has a run in with real-life witches. #MovieNews pic.twitter.com/7gK4FutwGY
— BuzzCulture (@BuzzCulture) January 17, 2019
Crew members on site rushed over to the area where the fight broke out as news spread quickly, while several police cars pulled up outside the studio. One of the crew members revealed his shock at hearing about the fight, calling it very embarrassing for Warner Bros. and adding that they had never heard of anything similar happening before.
The film, based on the Roald Dahl classic, is a remake of the original that came out in 1990. In addition to Hathaway, who stars as the Grand High Witch, well-known actors Octavia Spencer and Chris Rock also join the cast. It is directed by Back to the Future ‘s Robert Zemeckis, who also wrote the script.
The Witches is a dark fantasy comedy that tells the story of a boy who finds a coven of child-hating witches that act like normal women but secretly kill children. The witches turn the boy into a mouse and he must figure out a way to destroy them and return to his original form.
The 200-acre film studio features 16 individual studios and is famous for its Harry Potter tours. In addition to The Witches , Fast and Furious and an HBO production are currently being filmed within the complex.
Warner Bros. has not yet commented on the incident nor have they revealed when filming will commence again.