Jonathan Majors Falls from Window on Daily Wire Action Film, Sparking Crew Strike; Producers Say ‘We Don’t Negotiate with Communists’
According to CinemaDrame News Agency, just over a week after several crew members walked off the set of Jonathan Majors’ untitled upcoming action film from Daily Wire and Bonfire Legend, produced by Dallas Sonnier, more details have emerged about the safety concerns that led to the strike.
As previously reported, the IATSE union announced a strike against the film’s production on March 26, citing a series of labor issues. Initially, the union sought to sign a contract with the producers to guarantee contributions to union health and retirement funds. However, with growing safety concerns over the past five weeks, the situation became more serious.
The producers have not denied any of the allegations, but when contacted by Deadline for comment, they said, “We don’t negotiate with communists.”
Deadline spoke with multiple crew members who walked off the set after the incident. They said the push for a strike intensified late last week after Majors and his co-star JC Kilcoyne accidentally fell from a window.
The incident was captured on video obtained by Deadline. Multiple sources confirmed that the fall occurred after a window was replaced with a sheet of tempered glass without safety measures, which was intended to be broken in a later stunt with no actors involved.
Because the tempered glass was only loosely fitted in the window, both actors and the glass fell approximately six feet. Sources say Kilcoyne required stitches on “all of his hands.”
One crew member who entered the set after the incident to prepare the scene, speaking anonymously, said, “When I arrived, no one had mentioned anyone falling from the window… it was strange to me.”
Majors’ representatives did not respond to Deadline’s request for comment.
In a statement to Deadline, Kilcoyne’s representatives said the actor “is in good condition and was immediately cared for by the production team.”
They added, “JC did not feel unsafe and continues to have a positive experience working on the project.”
While the incident appears to have been the initial trigger for the strike, crew members who walked off say it was only the tip of the iceberg of their concerns. Several other workers confirmed incidents such as equipment falling on the crew, including an engineered tree branch that struck the set medic.
Several crew members also confirmed that no meetings with department heads or writer-director Kyle Rankin were held prior to complex stunts or the use of prop weapons. The production reportedly used air-force guns, and attempts to contact the weapons and props coordinator for scene safety went unanswered.
In fact, one experienced crew member said they observed no “standard production activity” on set, such as the presence of a production manager or even a list of crew members.
“You couldn’t find anyone, you didn’t know who was who,” they said, adding that the crew eventually started distributing a “black market list” to identify colleagues.
Deadline also learned that the production was forced to relocate after the crew objected to using a location filled with black mold. Producers had wanted to proceed even after a contractor warned the building likely contained asbestos. The crew discovered the mold themselves while prepping the location.
One former set worker told Deadline: “They really didn’t care about the long-term effects on the crew. It didn’t even occur to them because they were completely incompetent.”
Crew members also raised concerns about special effects supervisor Chris Beal, who had previously admitted to possessing illegal explosives on a film set. He is prohibited from handling explosives due to a prior conviction.
At the time of the strike, more than 60 percent of the crew held union cards and were seeking a collective agreement through IATSE, but the film’s producers explicitly stated they would not comply.
In a new statement to Deadline, Sonnier said: “The entire industry is in freefall due to strikes, and now that their members are out of work, they are trying to sabotage the few people still producing. We don’t negotiate with communists.”
This follows his Thursday remark: “We’re too busy being grown-ups, blowing things up, flying helicopters, and killing movie terrorists to worry about four people with signs and their illegal strike.”
Deadline also confirmed that production is proceeding under a SAG-AFTRA contract. Lower-tier unions typically try to secure similar agreements for below-the-line workers.
Film details have largely been kept confidential, but the title is rumored to be Run Hide Fight Infidels, a sequel to Kyle Rankin’s 2020 action film Run Hide Fight. The story reportedly channels 1980s and ’90s action films like Red Dawn and Toy Soldiers, featuring a group of teenagers who must unite to defeat their enemies.
It remains unclear what the production’s current status is, though filming is reportedly continuing in some capacity while the companies seek replacement crew members. The union has advised members not to take these replacement positions.
