Indiana Jones 5 crew member found dead on location in Morocco

A crew member working on the set of Indiana Jones 5 has reportedly been found dead on location in Morocco.

Nic Cupac, a member of the film's camera department, was found dead in his hotel room in the city of Fes, according to The New York Post.

"Our hearts go out to the family and friends of Nic Cupac, an incredibly talented colleague and member of the film community who will be greatly missed," a rep for the production told the outlet.

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"His sudden passing was not production-related. Nic was a grip on 2nd unit."

Cupac's cause of death has not been publicly disclosed, but "he is thought to have died of natural causes," The Sun reported.

According to The Post, the 54-year-old — who also worked on films in the Jurassic Park, Harry Potter and Star Wars franchises — only recently jetted to Morocco to help film the blockbuster. More than 100 crew members had reportedly gathered to the Moroccan city to prepare for the filming of a major stunt scene using a rickshaw.

Production on the next Indiana Jones film has faced a number of setbacks in the past year. Shooting was initially postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Then, in June, residents of a filming location in East London claimed the production was making their lives "a living hell". According to The Sun, one resident was paid US$75,000 (approx. $101,000) to film in their home, while the entire street was blocked off for days.

Just last week, filming was pushed back again when Morocco banned flights to and from the UK due to rising cases of COVID-19.

Meanwhile, production of the movie was halted for three months after lead star Harrison Ford, 79, suffered a severe shoulder injury in June. He only returned to set in Italy two weeks ago.

It is unclear if Cupac's death will cause further delays in production.

The fifth instalment of the Indiana Jones franchise was originally slated to hit cinemas in July 2021 but was pushed back to July 2022, due to the pandemic. Last month, Disney announced it is now scheduled for release in 2023.