There was a tragic car accident last Thursday while filming the Netflix production “The Chosen One”. According to several media reports, a van in which several crew members were sitting overturned in the Mexican desert near the municipality of Mulege.
The two actors Raymundo Garduno and Juan Francisco Aguilar (also known as “Paco Mufote”) died in the accident. The culture ministry of Baja California is said to have confirmed this to the AP news agency on Friday. Six other people are said to have been injured, as reported by the Guardian, among others.
People close to the crashed Juan Francisco Aguilar told multiple media outlets that the actor had previously complained about the lack of on-set logistics and poor transportation conditions. They are calling for an independent investigation.
Liliana Conlisk Gallegos, a friend of Aguilar, told the Daily Beast website about serious allegations that the film crew may have been exploited to save money. “It fills me with anger that there are reports of abuse and exploitation being circulated by those involved in production.”
She calls for an independent investigation into the events. “If nothing wrong has happened, then there shouldn’t be a problem sharing this information,” Gallegos told the Daily Beast news site.
Screenwriter Faisal Lutchmedial also expressed his condolences via Twitter. He has previously worked with Aguilar, aka “Paco Mufote,” and writes, “It upsets me to hear that poor safety practices on the production side are to blame for this tragedy.”
In a comprehensive Facebook post, novelist Rick Zazueta also denounced the lack of safety precautions on the set of the Netflix production. “For weeks people involved with this production have known the logistics are terrible. The actors have not stopped complaining about how badly they are treated, especially in the field of transportation and logistics,” he writes. The actors are said to have been transported “like cattle” just “to save a few pesos.”
The author ends his open letter on Facebook with a dramatic appeal: “The film industry must change, we have again paid a very high price in this country, but we must protect the rights of the deceased.”
Upon request, a Netflix spokesman spoke to “Daily Beast” about two other injured cast members and four injured crew members. All are said to be in stable condition now.
The rep offered his condolences to the bereaved and indicated that filming of the Netflix series would be put on hold. As the investigations are ongoing, the company will not comment further on the events or allegations at this time.
The Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) has announced it will investigate the case.
The Netflix series “The Chosen One” (in German “The Chosen One”) is about a 12-year-old boy who, as the embodiment of Holy Jesus, is supposed to save the world. The story is based on the comic book series “American Jesus” by Mark Millar and Peter Gross.
