Explosion at the Ognyanovo reservoir (The Expendables 2, 2012)
While filming a staged explosion on a rubber boat at the Ognyanovo reservoir in Bulgaria for The Expendables 2, an explosive device apparently misfired, killing stuntman Kun Liu and injuring another named Nuo Sun. The film’s stars, which include Sylvester Stallone, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Bruce Willis and Chuck Norris, were not present during the accident.
Liu’s family filed a wrongful death suit against the producers of the film, Nu Image and Millennium Films, and stunt coordinator Chad Stahelski. The suit alleged that conditions for the stunt were unsafe. Sun, meanwhile, underwent a five-hour operation, which left him in stable condition. The Expendables 2 credits contain a dedication to Liu’s memory.
