Toronto Court Fines DC’s Titans FX Company Over $100K After Crew Member’s Death

In the summer of 2019 production on Titans was shut down due to the on set death of special effects coordinator Warren Appleby, and nearly three years later the courts have finally made a ruling. According to Deadline, Acme FX has been fined $110,000 along with a “25% victim fine surcharge” by Ontario Court of Justice, the company had previously entered a guilty plea in court for not making sure “the machine, device, tool or equipment is in good condition.” Appleby was injured on the set in July of 2019 after being struck in the head by a heavy object.

“Warren was a beloved business partner, leader, mentor, friend and brother to many in our community, and a loving husband and father to his wife and children,” Acme FX wrote in a statement at the time of his tragic death. “He will be remembered for his quick humour, strong leadership, care and compassion for his crew and — above all else — his devotion to his family. Words cannot express how dearly he will be missed.” 

At the time of Appleby’s death, Warner Bros. Television also released a statement, adding: “We are heartbroken and devastated by the passing of our treasured colleague, special effects coordinator Warren Appleby, after an accident which occurred at a special effects facility during the preparation and testing for an upcoming shoot. Warren is beloved by all who worked with him during an impressive 25-year career in television and motion pictures. The executive producers, along with everyone, in the Titans family, Warner Bros. Television Group and DC UNIVERSE, wish to express our deepest condolences, and heartfelt love and support, to Warren’s family and friends at this most difficult time.”

Prior to working on Titans Appleby’s career in special effects dated all the way back to the mid-1990s, working on fan-favorite comedy Tommy Boy and the short-lived RoboCop TV series. Other credits of the late creator include Stephen King’s Storm of the Century, 2005’s Assault on Precinct 13 remake, 50 Cent’s Get Rich or Die Tryin’, and horror films like Carrie, Saw IV, Mama, The Shape of Water, and both IT movies, plus Netflix’s Hemlock Grove and the FX series The Strain.