A news breakdown with commentary
Two actors just fell through a window on a film set in South Carolina. One needed stitches all over his hands. The other walked away unscathed. That second actor is Jonathan Majors — and the fact that his name is the one you just reacted to tells you everything about what’s really going on here.
What’s the Project?
Majors is starring in an as-yet-untitled action film — though sources suggest it may be called Run Hide Fight Infidels — produced by Ben Shapiro’s The Daily Wire and Dallas Sonnier’s Bonfire Legend. The film is written and directed by Kyle Rankin, who previously made the 2020 action thriller Run Hide Fight, and this project is being framed as an anthology sequel to that film. It’s described as an ’80s and ’90s-style action movie in the vein of Red Dawn and Toy Soldiers — stories about groups banding together against invading enemies.
Majors is starring and serves as an executive producer. This marks his first film project in four years, following his 2023 conviction for assaulting a former girlfriend, after which he was dropped from numerous high-profile projects including the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
The film is also notable for its producers. Ben Shapiro — host of The Ben Shapiro Show and co-founder of The Daily Wire — is among those backing the project. Dallas Sonnier, known in the film world for producing the cult western Bone Tomahawk, is producing through his company Bonfire Legend. These are not neutral players, and the production’s political identity matters — especially in the context of what’s happened on set.
What’s Happening on Set?
According to reporting by Deadline, the production has been plagued by a serious and escalating series of safety failures over its five weeks of filming.
The window incident. The most dramatic: Majors and co-star JC Kilcoyne accidentally fell through a window while filming a scene. A sheet of tempered glass had been placed loosely in a window frame ahead of a planned stunt — unsecured — and both actors and the glass fell approximately six feet to the ground. Kilcoyne required stitches all over his hands. When crew members arrived afterward to reset the scene, the incident reportedly went unacknowledged. One crew member told Deadline: “Nobody mentioned anything about people falling out the window. It seemed weird to me.”
Other reported safety failures include:
- Props falling onto crew, including a rigged tree branch that struck the set medic
- Complex stunts and prop firearms used with no safety meetings or department head briefings beforehand
- No unit production manager present on set; no official crew list — crew eventually circulated their own informal “black market” list just to identify their colleagues
- A location flagged by a contractor for likely asbestos and black mold that producers initially pushed to keep using; crew discovered the mold themselves while prepping the space
The union response. IATSE — the union representing below-the-line film workers — called a strike against the production on March 26. While the actors are covered under a SAG-AFTRA contract, most of the crew was not unionized, which is what prompted IATSE to step in. Over 60% of the crew signed union cards indicating they want collective bargaining representation.
The producers’ response. In a statement to Deadline, producer Dallas Sonnier said the team was “too busy being bad asses, blowing sh*t up, flying helicopters, and killing movie terrorists” to concern themselves with the strike. In a follow-up statement, he added that they “don’t negotiate with communists.” Deadline also notes that when reached for comment on the specific safety allegations, producers said they “don’t negotiate with communists” in lieu of a denial — meaning the allegations themselves have not been disputed.
Filming is reportedly continuing despite the picket line. The production is actively seeking to replace striking crew members.
The Bigger Picture: Who’s Really Running This — and Who’s Taking the Heat
Here’s what I think is important to say clearly, because I don’t think it’s being said enough.
Every time this project makes the news, the face you see is Jonathan Majors. Not Ben Shapiro. Not Dallas Sonnier. Not the director. Jonathan Majors.
Part of that is simply because he’s the biggest name attached. But its also a stark reminder of who the media wants taking the blame for this and for someone who is trying to rebuild his career. That attachment when many of the things happening aren’t his direct doing is unfortunate.
And the political context matters enormously right now. The Daily Wire is not just a media company with a conservative lean. It is an organization with a specific and active political agenda — one that, in the current climate, is aligned with rolling back rights for women, targeting immigrant communities, and dismantling protections that working people depend on. The way these producers spoke about their own striking crew — workers asking for safety and fair pay — is not just a personality quirk. It is a reflection of that value system made visible.
An Honest Criticism
Jonathan Majors made choices here. Nobody forced him into this. He is an executive producer, which means his involvement goes beyond simply showing up to act. And I think he deserves to be held accountable for that — with honesty, not cruelty, but with honesty.
When you have fallen publicly — when you are trying to rebuild trust and credibility — every move you make sends a message. Every project you attach yourself to is a statement about who you are and what you value. This project, as it stands, says: I will work alongside people who dismiss the safety of the workers beneath them. I will lend my face to a brand that is politically opposed to the communities I come from. I will stay on set after my co-star is injured in a preventable accident and keep going. I will take the payday.
Maybe there is more to the story. Maybe contracts were signed before the full picture was clear. I am willing to hold that possibility. But from the outside, watching this unfold in real time, those are the conclusions the evidence points to. And I think they are fair ones.
All money ain’t good money. We are watching the definition of that right now.
Why It’s Still Complicated
Last year, I watched Magazine Dreams. And I got genuinely emotional, because sitting there watching that film I kept thinking — this man is a genius. A true thespian. That film went on my personal top list for the year. I was devastated by what happened: to him, to that film, to a career that had been building toward something real.
I believe in redemption. I believe in rehabilitation. I believe that the worst thing a person has ever done does not define them entirely. He went to court, he received his verdict, justice was served — I have no interest in continuing to pile on after that.
But the road back, especially when you have fallen publicly, requires intention. It requires humility. It requires showing the world — not just telling them — who you are now. And I don’t think this project is showing us who he wants us to believe he is.
I don’t know what is happening in his mind. I can’t speak to his heart. But I have learned more about his priorities through this one project than I did through everything that came before it. And that makes me genuinely sad — because the talent is undeniable, and the loss of what could have been is real.
I was rooting for this man. I still am, in some part of me that hasn’t given up yet. But this is a lot. And it matters — not just for his career, but for what it signals to everyone watching.
Sources: Deadline. All reporting on the production’s safety conditions, union activity, and producer statements is attributed to Deadline’s ongoing coverage of the production.