Star Wars injury sidelines Harrison Ford for 8 weeks

Original Star Wars actor Harrison Ford is set to miss about eight weeks of filming on the franchise's upcoming new instalment, following a recent injury suffered while he was on the set.

Filming on Star Wars: Episode VII will continue in the 71-year-old performer's absence as he recuperates from a broken ankle, suffered last week at Pinewood Studios on the outskirts of London, according to reports in industry publications Variety and Hollywood Reporter.

• Harrison Ford suffers ankle injury on set of new Star Wars film

His absence is not expected to delay the December 2015 theatrical release of the highly anticipated ensemble film, which is set 30 years after Return of the Jedi,and features original stars such as Ford, Mark Hamil and Carrie Fisher alongside a raft of series newcomers.

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According to the Hollywood Reporter, Ford was injured last week by the door of the Millennium Falcon spacecraft, which his character Han Solo pilots in the original three films.

The new Star Wars film, one of three slated to extend the main storyline, is being directed by J.J. Abrams. There willalso be a trio of spinoff films set for release.