Hollywood star Owen Wilson escapes big fire on 'The Coup' film set in Lampang

[webfact]

Fire at Hollywood "The Coup" film shooting scene in Lampang


A fire broke out at a three-story building where a shooting of a Hollywood movie starred by Owen Wilson was ongoing in Lampang province , causing damages to the building.

BANGKOK: -- This morning forensic police are still gathering evidence at the scene to find out the exact cause of the first and see to it if it was caused by error in its special effect techniques.

No crew member of the film shooting team was injured in an hour fire which was later put out by a dozens of fire-engines last night.

Lead star of the movie “The Coup” Owen Wilson was seen driven off from the fire scene in a red license plate BMW to Chiang Mai shortly after the fire broke out at 7.30 p.m.

Residents and witnesses who watched the film shooting of the Hollywood independent film maker, Bold Films, last night said at first they did not think it was a real fire but merely a special effect used in this action movie.

But after seeing many members of the team, including Owen Wilson, running out of the building and some using fire extinguishers to put out the fire, they then believed it was a real fire. But the fire spread so fast and could not be kept under control, and all ran out and shouted for help.

The 11 three-storey row-house building which belongs to Pattana Sahakol Co Ltd was assumed to be a Southeast Asian hotel in the movie, while a nearby old office of the central bank assumed to be the American Embassy.

The Hollywood filmmaker is in Chiang Mai and Lampang for the film shooting from November 20-22, and December 9-11. Michelle Monaghan will star with Owen Wilson, and Pierce Brosnan in this movie.

It is thriller movie centering on an American family who moves to Southeast Asia and finds themselves entangled in a violent coup with merciless rebels attacking the city.

Source: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/fire-hollywood-coup-film-shooting-scene-lampang/

-- Thai PBS 2013-11-21

[Local Drunk]

"It is thriller movie centering on an American family who moves to Southeast Asia and finds themselves entangled in a violent coup with merciless rebels attacking the city."

Been there, done that... got the T-shirt more than once...

[gl555]

Art imitating life.

They may be shooting a movie about a coup in the midst of a possible real one.

[sjjmmi]

Red shirts

[HeavyDrinker]

What an absolute tragedy.....they missed the chance to throw every copy of Marley and Me in existence onto the flames.....

[JoeThePoster]

Must be that Michelle Monaghan radiating heat.

[bigbamboo]

They shouldn't have hired those red shirt extras.

Edited November 21, 2013 by bigbamboo

[CelticBhoy]

With his big hooter he probably got a whiff of the smell

quite quickly and got everyone out of there sharpish.

[Local Drunk]

How about a scene of an expat trying for hours to catch a taxi from Surasak to Saphan mai on the eve of the Army's crackdown on the Redbels. We can see his desperation in his sweat and fear in a sweltering concrete tropical jungle that is ruled by armed mobs. He struggles in vain and begs taxi after taxi (who are sympathetic to the rebels)but he is refused time and time again. At last a taxi agrees to take him to Victory Momuent (for an outrageous sum of money) where he thinks he can catch another taxi home. At Victory Monument he stops for a beer... and before the bottle is finished the staff are hurriedly closing the bar. He drinks up... and goes to the taxi queue... There,everyone is desperate and are jumping the queue in front of him... The citizens are frantic... At last it's his turn for a taxi... It pulls up and an elderly lady begins to exit... at that moment people run to get in the cab, but the elderly lady stops them and hold the door. He gets in and gives the driver instructions to take the tollway. As the cab moves slowly along its way to Din Daeng he hears shots fired. He looks up and sees troops firing down from the flyover into the streets...The bullets are flying from both sides. Bodies are being loaded into ambulances. He's just one thought amid the chaos... Will I get home?

There ya go Owen... Reality.

[draftvader]

How about a scene of an expat trying for hours to catch a taxi from Surasak to Saphan mai on the eve of the Army's crackdown on the Redbels. We can see his desperation in his sweat and fear in a sweltering concrete tropical jungle that is ruled by armed mobs. He struggles in vain and begs taxi after taxi (who are sympathetic to the rebels)but he is refused time and time again. At last a taxi agrees to take him to Victory Momuent (for an outrageous sum of money) where he thinks he can catch another taxi home. At Victory Monument he stops for a beer... and before the bottle is finished the staff are hurriedly closing the bar. He drinks up... and goes to the taxi queue... There,everyone is desperate and are jumping the queue in front of him... The citizens are frantic... At last it's his turn for a taxi... It pulls up and an elderly lady begins to exit... at that moment people run to get in the cab, but the elderly lady stops them and hold the door. He gets in and gives the driver instructions to take the tollway. As the cab moves slowly along its way to Din Daeng he hears shots fired. He looks up and sees troops firing down from the flyover into the streets...The bullets are flying from both sides. Bodies are being loaded into ambulances. He's just one thought amid the chaos... Will I get home? There ya go Owen... Reality.

The only problem I have with your story isn't belief....it's "which year is it set in?"

[Local Drunk]

How about a scene of an expat trying for hours to catch a taxi from Surasak to Saphan mai on the eve of the Army's crackdown on the Redbels. We can see his desperation in his sweat and fear in a sweltering concrete tropical jungle that is ruled by armed mobs. He struggles in vain and begs taxi after taxi (who are sympathetic to the rebels)but he is refused time and time again. At last a taxi agrees to take him to Victory Momuent (for an outrageous sum of money) where he thinks he can catch another taxi home. At Victory Monument he stops for a beer... and before the bottle is finished the staff are hurriedly closing the bar. He drinks up... and goes to the taxi queue... There,everyone is desperate and are jumping the queue in front of him... The citizens are frantic... At last it's his turn for a taxi... It pulls up and an elderly lady begins to exit... at that moment people run to get in the cab, but the elderly lady stops them and hold the door. He gets in and gives the driver instructions to take the tollway. As the cab moves slowly along its way to Din Daeng he hears shots fired. He looks up and sees troops firing down from the flyover into the streets...The bullets are flying from both sides. Bodies are being loaded into ambulances. He's just one thought amid the chaos... Will I get home? There ya go Owen... Reality.

The only problem I have with your story isn't belief....it's "which year is it set in?"

Brilliant!

[webfact]

Owen Wilson, Pierce Brosnan safe after fire on 'The Coup' set
By Coconuts Bangkok



BANGKOK: -- Hollywood A-listers Owen Wilson and Pierce Brosnan were unharmed after a fire on the set of a film they are shooting in northern Thailand, a production company and police said Thursday.

Wilson, who starred in Midnight in Paris, and former James Bond Brosnan had just finished Wednesday's shoot for the action-thriller The Coup when the fire broke out in a three-storey shophouse being rented for the film in the town of Lampang.

"Neither Owen Wilson nor Pierce Brosnan or (co-star) Lake Bell were anywhere near the set when the fire broke out... it was after wrap so none of our actors were there," said Chris Lowenstein of production company Living Film, which is helping the shoot. [read more...]

Full story: http://bangkok.coconuts.co/2013/11/21/owen-wilson-pierce-brosnan-safe-after-fire-coup-set


-- Coconuts Bangkok 2013-11-21

[webfact]

Owen Wilson and Pierce Brosnan safe after fire on Thai set

BANGKOK, November 21, 2013 (AFP) - Hollywood A-listers Owen Wilson and Pierce Brosnan were unharmed after a fire on the set of a film they are shooting in northern Thailand, a production company and police said Thursday.

Wilson, who starred in "Midnight in Paris", and former James Bond Brosnan had just finished Wednesday's shoot for the action-thriller "The Coup" when the fire broke out in a three-storey shophouse being rented for the film in the town of Lampang.

"Neither Owen Wilson nor Pierce Brosnan or (co-star) Lake Bell were anywhere near the set when the fire broke out... it was after wrap so none of our actors were there," said Chris Lowenstein of production company Living Film, which is helping the shoot.

"No-one was injured in the fire" which broke out in the ceiling, he added.

The scene had involved "air mortars with dust, cork and debris" but not "explosions, fire or other pyrotechnics", he said.

Local police said the fire is suspected to have started after special effects were used in the shoot.

"Forensic police are examining the place to find the actual cause," according to Police Colonel Thanakorn Khumwong.

The plot of "The Coup" pivots on an American family trapped in a Southeast Asian country in the middle of a military uprising.

Thailand has experienced nearly 20 military coups or attempted coups since it became a constitutional monarchy in 1932.

-- (c) Copyright AFP 2013-11-21

[Thai at Heart]

How about a scene of an expat trying for hours to catch a taxi from Surasak to Saphan mai on the eve of the Army's crackdown on the Redbels. We can see his desperation in his sweat and fear in a sweltering concrete tropical jungle that is ruled by armed mobs. He struggles in vain and begs taxi after taxi (who are sympathetic to the rebels)but he is refused time and time again. At last a taxi agrees to take him to Victory Momuent (for an outrageous sum of money) where he thinks he can catch another taxi home. At Victory Monument he stops for a beer... and before the bottle is finished the staff are hurriedly closing the bar. He drinks up... and goes to the taxi queue... There,everyone is desperate and are jumping the queue in front of him... The citizens are frantic... At last it's his turn for a taxi... It pulls up and an elderly lady begins to exit... at that moment people run to get in the cab, but the elderly lady stops them and hold the door. He gets in and gives the driver instructions to take the tollway. As the cab moves slowly along its way to Din Daeng he hears shots fired. He looks up and sees troops firing down from the flyover into the streets...The bullets are flying from both sides. Bodies are being loaded into ambulances. He's just one thought amid the chaos... Will I get home? There ya go Owen... Reality.

Better would be the taxi driver refusing to take the fare because he's going off shift....

[Basil B]

Having seen the remains of some automatic doors we supplied for use in a Bond film and having them returned after the shooting of the film with all the charring from the pyrotechnics I can only think that every film set is a major fire risk, hope the building owners have the building well insured.

Edited November 21, 2013 by Basil B

[Katipo]

Thank God. If 007 and the guy with the crooked nose has been hurt, I don't know what I would have done.

[AlphMichaels]

Surprised they've even been given the permits to film the movie, given the subject material. Think there may be some backlash, post release.

[wooloomooloo]

This was the perfect opportunity to throw Hugh Grant on the conflagration.

Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[RogueLeader]

Surprised they've even been given the permits to film the movie, given the subject material. Think there may be some backlash, post release.

It's pro-government propaganda. Of course they got permission.

It's a relief to read that no celebrities were injured in this fire. Meanwhile in Pattaya...

[pgrahmm]

They are somewhere around Chiang Mai along with Vince Vaughn & Will Farrell - at least they were for Loy Kratong.....

[Changnoi2]

Ahem.. A wrap is when the final scene of the movie is completed not when a days filming is finished. xxx

[Briggsy]

Wait till one of them gets electrocuted in the shower next week. Welcome to third world wiring.

[lostmebike]

With his big hooter he probably got a whiff of the smell

quite quickly and got everyone out of there sharpish.

From certain angles that 'hooter' looks like a d*ck.

[TPI]

With his big hooter he probably got a whiff of the smell

quite quickly and got everyone out of there sharpish.

From certain angles that 'hooter' looks like a d*ck.

Oh cruel! (but true?)

[Thai at Heart]

Ummmm. Why are the police investigating this?

No injuries and no complaints, so which law has been broken here?

[Thai at Heart]

Having seen the remains of some automatic doors we supplied for use in a Bond film and having them returned after the shooting of the film with all the charring from the pyrotechnics I can only think that every film set is a major fire risk, hope the building owners have the building well insured.

Not to be nasty, but I can imagine that the crew isn't exactly 100% Hollywood's finest (with local employment rules), so their experience of running a massive pyrotechnic show isn't the best. Throw in a healthy lack of health and safety, and the odds that a fire wouldn't happen would have been pretty low. I mean honestly, what odds you think you can carry this type of thing out without an on site presence of the fire department elsewhere in the world?

[jackr]

With his big hooter he probably got a whiff of the smell

quite quickly and got everyone out of there sharpish.

Maybe he was the fire-starter, accidentally knocking over a barrel of fuel with said hooter.

[belg]

a real story

[Jose]

Lead star of the movie “The Coup” Owen Wilson was seen driven off from the fire scene in a red license plate BMW to Chiang Mai shortly after the fire broke out at 7.30 p.m.

Well, whaddaya know... who would've thought!

It shouldn't be that hard to catch this firebug in his flashy BMW before he gets to the border... unless he's smart enough to switch cars.

[rotary]

I guess no chance of this fire saving the world from another bad Hollywood movie.