Harrison Ford has undergone surgery following an accident on the set of Star Wars: Episode VII that left him with a broken leg. The star, returning to the franchise as one of its original and most marketable stars, may have to be filmed from the waist up while he recovers.

Harrison FordHarrison Ford is said to be missing 8 weeks of Star Wars filming

It was previously believed the 71-year-old had broken an ankle in an incident involving a door at Pinewood Studios on 12 June, but in a statement to Sky News, Ford’s publicist Ina Treciokas said: "Harrison Ford's left leg was broken in an accident. His surgery was successful and he will begin rehab shortly. He's doing well and looks forward to returning to work." A spokesman for Thames Valley Police said the actor had been injured by a "garage door" and added: "The Health and Safety Executive have been informed and will look into it."

After the accident on June 12 he was airlifted to John Radcliffe Hospital, in Oxford. Now, film bosses have rescheduled the scenes in the film to try to minimise disruption and - the film is sticking to its release date in December next year.

More: Harrison Ford is Hit By Millennium Falcon. Lives.

“The initial day or two after the accident it was hard to move things around but now we have had more time we can juggle things, bring some scenes forward and push others back,” a source explained at the time of the injury. “There are lots of other actors in the movie so it is not a disaster. We are confident the film can stay on schedule. At the moment it looks like Harrison is going to be off set for 6-8 weeks but the main priority is making sure he is OK.”