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How did Nic Cupac die? Tragedy strikes 'Indiana Jones 5' team in Morocco

Crew member found dead in his hotel room at 52, was working on a major stunt for the highly anticipated film featuring Harrison Ford

The highly anticipated fifth movie of the Indiana Jones series has been besieged with setbacks, from Covid-19 to an injury to its leading man. In November, further tragedy struck when a crew member was found dead in his hotel room. According to reports, Nic Cupac was found dead at 52 in Fes, Morocco, where production is currently underway. 

The tragic news comes weeks after the sudden and shocking death of Halyna Hutchins. The massive security lapses that led to Hutchins' death have become a key moment of reckoning for Hollywood, with calls to overhaul the use of real weapons on set. It's also put the spotlight on the conditions crew are often forced to work under, which has become the key talking point for negotiations between producers and the labor union. 

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However, unlike the tragic death of Hutchins, it appears Cupac's death was not a result of security lapses or on-set safety issues. Here's everything we know about his death, and what it means for the film. 

How did Nic Cupac die?

According to IMDB, Cupac worked with the camera and electric department on 58 movies and TV shows since 2000. He's worked on some major productions including two Harry Potter films, 'The Da Vinci Code', 'Guardians of the Galaxy', 'Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom', and 'Venom: Let There be Carnage' to name a few. Cupac flew to Morocco along with 100 others, reportedly to prepare for a massive stunt scene involving a rickshaw.

The Sun reported that he was found dead in his hotel room in Fes, reportedly from natural causes. Further details were not made available, and the production is yet to issue an official statement on his death. A couple of crew members who did speak to The Sun noted, "I’m heartbroken. Nic was such a lovely man," with another saying, "One of the very best — taught me so much when I was starting out."

Not much else is known about Cupac. He doesn't appear to have any profiles on social media, so we couldn't learn more about him. It's unclear as of now if the production will suspend shooting, or if they will go on without the veteran. 

Setbacks upon setbacks for film

The death of Cupac is just the latest in a long line of setbacks for the film, which has been delayed numerous times due to script rewrites since George Lucas began working on it in 2008.  In June, production was put on hold for three months after Harrison Ford suffered a shoulder injury while shooting in the UK. That came after production was halted for nearly a year due to the Covid-19 pandemic, and had just resumed. 

Then in October, Morocco banned international flights to and from the UK, leaving bosses with a difficult choice on how to bring in the crew. The cast and key crew members were filming in Italy at the time, so they were able to make their way easily to Morocco. But the ban meant they would be stuck in the country, or unable to fly additional crew in from the UK, where most of the production is based. It's unclear where Cupac and the others flew in from, but it could be the US.

The as-of-yet untitled film is still scheduled to hit theatres on June 30, 2023, despite these setbacks. Whether it will, is a question only time can answer.