As if a story about blockbuster director Michael Bay getting attacked on set in Hong Kong wasn’t strange enough, an official statement from Paramount, the studio behind “Transformers: Age of Extinction” clarified that the actual events were much, much weirder.
Earlier Thursday (October 17), reports hit the web that claimed three men were arrested in Hong Kong after one attacked and allegedly hit Bay, but the studio has since responded to those stories and explained that Bay wasn’t hit at all. Paramount claims that Bay “wrested” his attacker’s weapon — an air conditioning unit — without suffering any injury.
The official statement from Paramount follows:
“Contrary to several erroneous news reports made today, Bay did not get hurt in a fight on set. The production company did have a bizarre encounter with a man (allegedly under the influence of a narcotic substance) who was wielding an air conditioning unit as a weapon. The man, who had earlier accosted several other crew members, rushed onto the set in Quarry Bay and swung the air conditioning unit directly at Bay’s head. The director ducked and wrested the air conditioner from his attacker, preventing what could have been a serious accident. The company’s security team quickly stepped in and subdued the assault. The police, who also scuffled with the assailant and two of his companions, ultimately arrested the three men. No one on the cast or crew was injured and the production immediately resumed filming without further incident.”
All of this occurred during the production’s first day of shooting in the country. Other locations for the fourth installment in the series include Arizona, Utah, Texas, Michigan, Illinois, and Washington state.
“Transformers: Age of Extinction” will hit theaters on June 27, 2014.
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