Following the first batch of movies and TV shows that have seen their releases delayed or productions halted (here) we have another batch of things you’re going to have to wait longer for…
First up, The Batman has halted production amongst the fears of the coronavirus. The movie was being shot on a London sound stage and has been pushed back two weeks (I’d imagine longer in the end). The production was set to head to Liverpool this week.
Here’s hoping it can still make that June 2021 release.
Next up, Disney has pulled the plug on The Little Mermaid which was scheduled to begin shooting in London next week. They have also delayed the Home Alone remake, The Last Duel, and Nightmare Alley.
In a statement, Disney said:
“While there have been no confirmed cases of COVID-19 on our productions, after considering the current environment and the best interests of our cast and crew, we have made the decision to pause production on some of our live-action films for a short time.
“We will continue to assess the situation and restart as soon as feasible.”
On the plus side, they released Frozen 2 three months early on Disney+:
The Walt Disney Company announced that Frozen 2 will be available three months ahead of schedule on Disney+ in the U.S. beginning Sunday, March 15, surprising families with some fun and joy during this challenging period: https://t.co/e8u14EIskB pic.twitter.com/zCgjNysicY
— Walt Disney Company (@WaltDisneyCo) March 14, 2020
However, the biggest – and most expected – set back for Disney is Black Widow which was set to come out on May 1st. A new date has not be set yet.
This has caused some debate over if this will affect other upcoming Marvel releases as this is one big story and The Eternals is set for release in November, but I don’t really see it being an issue as the MCU has been known to bounce around in time, with Black Widow itself set in the time of Captain America Civil War.
Amazon’s Lord of the Rings series has also been bitten by the bug (literally) as production has been set back two weeks, if not longer.
With 800 staff and crew in West Auckland being told the bad (but necessary) news: “we are doing this to minimise stress on the resources and infrastructures around us by doing our part to reduce population density in our communities and daily activities, in efforts to help reduce the spread of the virus.”
Following the depressing trend, The Witcher Season 2 cast and crew were told: “Cast and crew health is our primary concern. We are dealing with an unprecedented global pandemic that is beyond our control, and in many instances with mandates or restrictions imposed by governments (including travel restrictions in many countries). As such, we have made the decision, effective immediately, to pause production for 2 weeks during this difficult time, and we will support our production partners working on Netflix U.K. scripted series in doing the same. This will allow everyone the time to make informed decisions about how to move forward. The coronavirus has raised challenging issues for everyone working on set on productions for Netflix. We are very grateful for all the work everyone has done to keep cast and crew safe during this pandemic.”
So… we all know these things aren’t getting picked up in two weeks, but we anticipate the day when they do.
Winona Earp has also been halted:
#WynonnaEarp news: we are temporarily shutting down production on season 4. We are sure this is merely a blip, but we must follow Alberta health protocols. The safety of our cast & crew is of paramount importance to us. Thank you to @SYFY & @CTVSciFi for their unwavering support!
— Emily Andras (@emtothea) March 17, 2020
And finally, The Matrix 4 has been shut down filming in Berlin with an unknown pick-up time.
It’s hard not to say this is all crap, because it is, but the precautions are completely necessary and if the spread of this damned virus is stalled or even one life is saved due to this then it was completely worth it.
Marc
Marc is a self-confessed nerd. Ever since seeing Star Wars for the first time around 1979 he’s been an unapologetic fan of the Wars and still believes, with Clone Wars and now Underworld, we are yet to see the best Star Wars. He’s a dad of two who now doesn’t have the time (or money) to collect the amount of toys, comics, movies and books he once did, much to the relief of his long-suffering wife. In the real world he’s a graphic designer. He started Following the Nerd because he was tired of searching a million sites every day for all the best news that he loves and decided to create one place where you can go to get the whole lot. Secretly he longs to be sitting in the cockpit of his YT-1300 Corellian Transport ship with his co-pilot Chewie, roaming the universe, waiting for his next big adventure, but feels just at home watching cartoons with his kids….
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