A massive fire in Leavesden has severely damaged one of the sets of HBO’s upcoming space comedy ‘Avenue 5’ starring Hugh Laurie. It wasn’t clear if the sets were completely destroyed, but it appears the damage is extensive enough that the producers and writers are brainstorming ways to complete the final two episodes. The set was damaged as part of a powerful blaze that took British firefighters 15 hours to extinguish.
HBO said as much in an official statement:
“The fire at Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden has affected one of the sets of HBO’s ‘Avenue 5. Production continues as the producers and writers assess the best plan to complete filming of the final two episodes of the series.”
It hasn’t been announced how many episodes were to be included in the first season.
The show’s creator, Armando Iannucci stated:
“On behalf of the entire cast and crew of ‘Avenue 5,’ I want to thank the firefighters who’ve been working tirelessly throughout the night to keep everyone and everything safe. I send my thoughts to the residents in the area who were disturbed by the night’s events. It was a beautiful set but everyone’s safety is the main priority. The season is near completion and everyone is determined to carry on.”
And finally, Warner Brothers also expressed:
“Our principal concern is always people’s safety and we would like to thank Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue Services for all their hard work in containing the situation. All productions were able to continue working and the Studio Tour was unaffected.”
‘Avenue 5’ is the name of a large luxury spaceship, which serves as the primary setting for the series. Laurie portrays the Captain, Ryan Clark. The cast also includes: Suzy Nakamura as Iris Kimura, an associate owner of Avenue 5; Rebecca Front as Karen Kelly, a passenger; Zach Woods as Matt Spencer, Head of Customer Relations; Josh Gad as Herman Judd, billionaire owner of Avenue 5; Nikki Amuka-Bird as Rav Mulcair, head of Mission Control; Lenora Crichlow as Billie McEvoy, second engineer; Ethan Phillips as Spike Williams, a former astronaut who is now a womanizing alcoholic; and Himesh Patel as Jordan Hatwal, a stand up comedian who takes up an eight week residency on Avenue 5.
No injuries were reported as a result of the fire. Check back for updates on ‘Avenue 5’.
Source: Variety
