FX chairman John Landgraf reflected on the car shooting incident that disrupted the Chicago set of “Justified: City Primeval” last month, calling it “traumatic” and affirming that additional security protocols have since been put in place.
“I think it was a pretty traumatic experience for the cast and crew to be anywhere near that kind of gunfire,” the producer said during a virtual session of the Television Critics Association summer press tour. “A lot was done to sort of take a break and make sure everyone was OK. And we were glad that no one was injured and we reconstituted ourselves with even more security.”
On July 22, news broke that production on the Timothy Olyphant-starring limited series was briefly halted until the following week due to two cars whose occupants were shooting at each other crashing through the filming barricade. A local report from the Chicago Journal later stated that four cars were involved in the incident, with nearby neighborhoods hearing approximately 30 shots fired. No injuries related to the matter were reported.
After the incident, Sony, who co-produces the series with FX, brought in an additional security team spearheaded by an ex-military hostage negotiator that includes former Navy SEALs and Army Rangers. As an additional cautionary measure, shuttles were also made available for local crew members who didn’t feel comfortable driving onto set.
The sequel to FX’s Western crime drama “Justified,” “City Primeval” sees Olyphant reprising his role as U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens. Inspired by the Elmore Leonard book “City Primeval: High Noon in Detroit,” the eight-episode series follows Givens eight years after he left Kentucky to settle in Miami for his daughter. There are just a few more weeks of filming left.
“We take that stuff really seriously,” Landgraf added. “We try to go in prepared, obviously. We’re glad that no one was injured, and and we’re glad we were able to get back up in production safely.”
