Man falls into 'The Zookeeper' film's faux lion pit

Contrary to initial reports, a 27-year-old Dorchester man--and not a teen--fell about 30 feet into a former gorilla enclosure refurbished into a fake lion's den at the Franklin Park Zoo for the made-in-Boston flick "The Zookeeper," starring Kevin James, Rosario Dawson and Donnie Wahlberg.

According to State Police, Arnold Milfort suffered minor injuries and his fall was broken by a net after trying to climb into the off-limits filming area of "The Zookeeper," around 3:45 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 2. Because it's part of the movie set, no lions were in the pit.

The man was removed from the movie-set den by the Boston Fire Department and transported to Boston Medical Center. Milfort remains hospitalized with a sore back and has not been charged.

The police report states: "A member of the production crew told State Police that Milfort gained access to the closed set by claiming falsely that he was a zoo employee. Witnesses reported that he tripped and fell into the den shortly before 3:45 p.m."

Primary filming of "The Zookeeper" kicked off in late August at the Franklin Park Zoo's elaborate mini-zoo set near the Giraffe Entrance of the park located at 1 Franklin Park Rd.

"The Zookeeper" set resembles a Hollywood-style movie lot swarming with production staff on golf carts and lighting rigs peering behind off-limits structures built for filming purposes only.

There are several "no food or drinks" signs on "The Zookeeper" set at the park's elaborate mini-zoo location.

"The Zookeeper" follows James as a zoo caretaker who consults with the animals in an attempt to learn their methods of dating and mating to help him win back the woman of his dreams. Rosario Dawson has been cast as Kate, the smart zoo veterinarian who works alongside James' character Griffin. Leslie Bibb plays Stephanie, the ex who broke Griffin's heart.

In contrast to James' character, Wahlberg is set to play a zookeeper who detests the furry critters under his watch.

The movie-set mishap at the Franklin Park Zoo punctuates a handful of incidents involving overzealous fans trying too close to the Boston-area filming action.

Amy Adams, co-starring alongside Dorchester native Mark Wahlberg and Christian Bale in the recently wrapped flick "The Fighter," had a close call with a fan on Thursday, July 16 while on set at the Paul Tsongas Arena located at 300 Martin Luther King Jr. Way in Lowell.

Adams was approached by a guy in his late teens, early 20s climbing the steps outside of her trailer who claimed to be looking for his cousin.

Watertown native Eliza Dushku described a similar incident via Twitter while filming the psychological thriller "Valediction."

Click here for the latest on "The Zookeeper."