SAG-AFTRA Greenlights ‘Heaven Sent’ On Fox Despite Safety Concerns
SAG-AFTRA has dropped its safety objections and will allow its members to work on Stride Gum Presents: Heaven Sent, a branded, live stunt show that airs tonight on Fox. During the death-defying show, renowned skydiver Luke Aikins will attempt to become the first person to jump out of an airplane at 25,000 feet without a parachute or a wingsuit and land safely in a giant net suspended 200 feet above the southern California desert.
The program, says a Fox spokesperson, is produced by the food manufacturer Mondelez International.
The union posted a notice on its website Thursday ordering its members not to work on the show, saying that the producers were “not signatory” to its contract. Sources connected with the show, however, told Deadline that the producers wanted to sign the contract, but that the guild balked because of safety concerns.
“We’d been seeking an agreement and they wouldn’t allow us to sign one,” said a source connected with the show. “They said they didn’t want to have anything to do with this; that it’s too dangerous.”
A deal was reached at the eleventh hour and the union has now taken down the “Do Not Work” order. Sources say that more than a dozen members of the union are involved in the show, including stunt riggers, coordinators, announcers and skydivers. The show airs live tonight at 8 pm.
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