When Tom Hanks announced on March 11 that he and Rita Wilson had tested positive for the coronavirus, they were in Australia doing production on Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis Presley biopic. The Warner Bros. film, in which Hanks was to play Presley’s manager Colonel Tom Parker, shut down immediately.
As the coronavirus has spread, and states have issued mandates to try to contain the pandemic, individual film and television productions — which can be the size of villages — have shut down across the globe. These shutdowns have had and will continue to have untold financial and cultural impact, and may reshape popular culture and its economic model for years to come.
Here are some of the larger headlines: Amazon has shut down not only “Lord of the Rings,” but has “paused on all Amazon Original series that are currently in production.” Netflix shut down all scripted film and TV production in the United States and Canada, Warner Bros. Television Group halted production on over 70 series and pilots, Disney TV Studios put 16 pilots and a handful of current shows on a temporary production hiatus, and Apple announced that all its shows produced by outside studios have been suspended for the time being. There are also shows — such as Fox’s “9-1-1” shows, and HBO’s “Insecure” — that have already finished production for the season.
Variety is keeping an updated list of what movies and television shows have been shut down or delayed.
TV
“Succession” and “Barry” – HBO’s buzzy drama and its Bill Hader-led comedy were both to begin shooting in April, but have now been delayed. According to an HBO spokesperson, “We are looking forward to resuming preproduction when it is safe and healthy for everyone working on our shows to do so. Where possible, our writers are continuing to write remotely.”
“The Witcher” – Henry Cavill and co. have had to shutdown production on season 2 of the hit Netflix show, which has been shooting in the U.K., for a two-week period.
“The Handmaid’s Tale” – The Hulu show, which was in production for its fourth season, shut down and will resume “as soon as it’s safe to do so,” series star Elisabeth Moss wrote on Instagram. “This show is my life and this cast and crew is my family,” she said. “Nothing is more important than making sure they and everyone around them is safe.”
“Lord of the Rings” – The Amazon series, which has been shooting in New Zealand, has suspended production for two weeks. According to the New Zealand Herald, which first broke the news, cast and crew were told that “there are no clear answers when we will resume production.”
Untitled “Goonies” pilot – Fox’s meta “Goonies” project — in which a schoolteacher returns to her depressed hometown and “agrees to help three students who are pursuing their filmmaking dreams by putting on an impossibly ambitious shot-for-shot remake of one of the student’s favorite movies, ‘The Goonies.'” — has shut down production.
“The Bold Type” – Though Freeform hasn’t confirmed, actor Meghann Fahy posted to Instagram that “The Bold Type” has shut down.
“The Goldbergs” and “Schooled” – The two Sony shows for ABC were among the last network holdouts to shut production down. As of Friday, they still planned to shoot next week. But Saturday, Sony decided to stop shooting after all.
“Superstore” – America Ferrera confirmed on her Instagram that the show shut down on Friday. “Today is unexpectedly my last day shooting on ‘Superstore’ for this season,” Ferrera said. “We are shutting down production, as they are all shows on the Universal lot.” The finale was meant to be Ferrera’s sendoff episode, but she hinted she might be coming back “when things clear up to finish Amy’s storyline.”
“Loki,” “Falcon and the Winter Solider,” and “WandaVision” – Marvel Studios has hit the pause button on its three Disney Plus shows currently in production. Pre-production on the other Marvel shows at the streamer will continue remotely, according to sources.
“Peaky Blinders” – Production on one of the U.K.’s most popular shows has been postponed, according to a BBC spokeswoman.
“Power Book II: Ghost” and “Power Book III: Raising Kanan” – The two “Power” spinoffs have powered down their production for the time being.
“Queen of the South” – The third season of the USA crime drama has been suspended for three weeks.
“Empire” – Production on the final season of the Fox drama has been shut down.
“Pose” – The FX show has halted production.
“American Housewife” – Season 4 of the ABC sitcome will return to production at a later date.
“Big Shot” – Starring John Stamos, the Disney Plus dramedy has been forced to close down.
“The Resident” – Production on the backend of season 3 has had to stop.
“Supernatural” – Warner Bros. shuttered production on the long-running CW series’ final season.
“Snowpiercer” – The TNT drama, based on Bong Joon Ho’s 2013 movie, has shut down production.
“Stranger Things” – As part of Netflix’s mass scripted shutdown, “Stranger Things” has halted production on season 4. The cast posted a widely shared video from their table read last week.
“The Ellen Show” – Ellen DeGeneres announced herself via Twitter that her talk show was suspending production completely until March 30.
“Varsity Blues” – The Quibi adaptation of the 1999 film hadn’t started production yet, but has been delayed.
“The Walking Dead” – Production on the massive AMC series is being delayed by three to four weeks, according to sources.
“Fear the Walking Dead” – Unlike its originator, “Fear the Walking Dead” was already in production, however, it will now take an extended hiatus.
“Kevin Can F— Himself” – The new AMC series is in pre-production, and now physical production has been pushed back by three to four weeks, according to sources.
“Atlanta” – Production on the new season of the critically acclaimed Donald Glover series has been put on hold.
“Snowfall” – Season 4 of “Snowfall” is also among the FX series affected by the Coronavirus.
“Fargo” – The upcoming fourth installment of “Fargo” has stopped production and the premiere date, which was scheduled to be April 19, has been postponed.
“Euphoria” – Production on the second season of the HBO show was about to begin, but has been delayed.
“Righteous Gemstones” – The second season of the Danny McBride HBO comedy has shut down production.
“See” – Production on season 2 of the Apple TV Plus series with Jason Momoa has been halted.
“Servant” – The M. Night Shyamalan thriller was part of Apple’s shutdown of all shows produced by external studios.
“Lisey’s Story” -Produced by Warner Bros. and J.J. Abrams’ Bad Robot, the Clive Owen and Julianne Moore show has been forced to call it quits, for now.
“Mythic Quest: Raven’s Banquet” – Hailing from “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” creator Rob McElhenney, the new comedy debuted its first season last month, but has now been forced to stop production.
“Suspicion” – The recently announced Uma Thurman Apple series has halted production in the U.K.
“Foundation” – The forthcoming series based on the book of the same name by Isaac Asimov has stopped shooting.
“For All Mankind” – Season 2 of the Sony Pictures TV-produced series has stopped production.
“American Crime Story: Impeachment” – The story of impeachment of Bill Clinton — with Beanie Feldstein as Monica Lewinsky and Sarah Paulson as Linda Tripp — was in prep, and set to start production in April. It has been put on pause.
“Batwoman” – The CW show is one of the fast growing list of shows to temporarily halt its production under the threat of the Coronavirus.
“The Bachelorette” – “The Bachelor” may have just ended, but fans could have to wait a little longer than usual to see the next season of “The Bachelorette,” given that the competition series has suspended production.
“Young Sheldon” – The widely watched CBS shows has stopped production, along with a vast array of other shows.
“Genius: Aretha” – Production on the Nat Geo series which stars Cynthia Erivo as the queen of soul has been postponed for at least three weeks.
“Y: The Last Man” – The Toronto production of FX’s post-apocalyptic drama series has shut down for at least two weeks.
“Wheel of Time” – The Prague shoot for the Amazon series has been halted.
“Law & Order: SVU” – Production has ceased temporarily on the long-running series.
Untitled Ted Danson/Tina Fey Comedy – The upcoming NBC series, in which Danson plays a wealthy businessman who runs for mayor of Los Angeles, has suspended its production.
“The Flash” – The CW series, currently in its sixth season, has shut down production due to the outbreak. A source close to the production confirmed the news.
“Superman and Lois” – The new CW series was supposed to shoot a pilot, however, sources say that plan has now been scrapped, and the series will go into production later this year as originally scheduled.
“Call Me Kat” – The project from “Big Bang Theory” alums Mayim Bialik and Jim Parsons received a series order a
“Grey’s Anatomy” – On Thursday, March 12, the executive producers of “Grey’s Anatomy” sent this email to its cast and crew: “Out of an abundance of caution, production is postponed on Grey’s Anatomy effective immediately. We are going home now for at least two weeks and waiting to see how the coronavirus situation evolves. This decision was made to ensure the health and safety of the whole cast and crew and the safety of our loved ones outside of work, and it was made in accordance with Mayor Garcetti’s suggestion that we not gather in groups of more than 50. Stay safe, stay healthy, stay hydrated, stay home as much as possible, and wash your hands frequently. Please take care of yourselves and each other. As updates come in, we will keep you informed. Thank you for all that you do! Krista, Debbie, & James.” The series has reportedly shot 21 of the planned 25 episodes for its 16th season.
“The Price Is Right” and “Card Sharks” – Production has halted on the hit daytime game show, Fremantle announced, because the company is taking measures to minimize the risk of exposure. The format of the show, which sees host Drew Carey calling audience members to “come on down” and play the game relies on having in-studio guests, so the show simply could not go on without a live audience. For similar reasons, the company said it is also postponing production for the second season of its primetime reboot of “Card Sharks,” which was originally supposed to return to ABC’s lineup this summer.
“America’s Got Talent” and “Family Feud” – Live audiences have been suspended for these two Fremantle series. The company released a statement that explained, “Due to the ongoing global situation around Covid-19, we have been working closely with our production teams and network partners to take measures to help minimize the risk of exposure to our cast, crew and live audiences.”
“The Morning Show” – Media Res, the studio behind the buzzy Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon series, has announced season 2 production will go on a two-week hiatus with immediate effect. Sources close to the production say that no one from the cast or crew is sick, has exhibited symptoms or has tested positive for the Coronavirus, but that the decision to shut down production was taken out of concern for those working on the show. “In concert with our dedicated partners at Apple, we have concluded it would be prudent to take a two-week hiatus to assess the situation and ensure the safety of the incredible people who make this show,” said Media Res founder and CEO Michael Ellenberg in a statement.
“Saturday Night Live” – The iconic comedy show has been forced to postpone its next three episodes due to the virus.
“The Daily Show with Trevor Noah” and “Lights Out with David Spade” – Both are suspending production. According to Comedy Central, “Our top priority is the safety of our guests and staff…We will continue to closely monitor the situation per guidance issued by the CDC and public health authorities and hope to return Monday, March 30th.”
“Real Time With Bill Maher” – Beginning Friday, March 13 the HBO late-night series is forgoing its live in-studio audience.
“Riverdale” – Warner Bros. TV pulled the production plug on the CW show after a member of the production came into contact with someone who recently tested positive for the coronavirus. The series was in the process of shooting its fourth season in Vancouver. “We are working closely with the appropriate authorities and health agencies in Vancouver to identify and contact all individuals who may have come into direct contact with our team member,” read a statement from a WB TV spokesperson.
“Grace and Frankie” – Shooting on the final season of Netflix’s “Grace and Frankie” has been halted “to ensure the safety of our cast and crew,” per a statement from the show’s producer Skydance Television.
“Sex/Life” – The upcoming Sarah Shahi series has suspended production.
“Survivor” – CBS made the decision to delay production on season 41 of the competition series, which was set to begin filming later this month in Fiji.
“The Amazing Race” – Production on season 33 of the show has been temporarily shut down amid the increasing number of cases of coronavirus worldwide. CBS said the move was undertaken “out of an abundance of caution,” as the respiratory virus has not impacted anyone directly involved with the show.
“NCIS,” “NCIS: Los Angeles” and “NCIS New Orleans” – According to sources, shooting has been temporarily halted on all three “NCIS” shows.
“Chicago Fire,” “Chicago Med,” and “Chicago P.D.” – All three Dick Wolf drams have halted production effective immediately.
“FBI” – The CBS series, which is produced by Universal Television, is one of those that has taken the precaution of shutting down production.
“New Amsterdam” – Add “New Amsterdam” to the growing list of procedurals which have shut up shop due to the virus outbreak.
“The Good Fight” – Shooting on the upcoming fourth season of the CBS All Access legal drama has been suspended, according to sources with knowledge of the production.
“Bull” – The series has currently aired 16 episodes of its fourth season, but the decision has been made to stop production for the time being.
“Carnival Row” – Star Orlando Bloom revealed that production on season 2 of the Amazon series, which was taking place in Budapest, has been halted. Bloom noted in an Instagram video that he was being sent home to the United States as a result.
“Jimmy Kimmel Live” – On Friday, March 13, ABC issued a statement saying that in the “best interest of the staff and crew to suspend production on the show beginning Monday, March 16. We will continue to monitor this and hope to be back on the air with new shows Monday, March 30.”
“Last Week Tonight With John Oliver” – After a shortened episode airing on Sunday, John Oliver and his shows are going on a temporary hiatus.
“Real Time With Bill Maher” – Bill Maher’s shows will air a standard length episode on Friday night before waving goodbye for the time being.
“The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” and “Late Night with Seth Meyers” – Both NBC late night shows are suspending production through their previously planned hiatus, which was scheduled for the week of March 23. They had previously planned to shoot without an audience.
“The Late Show With Stephen Colbert” – The CBS late night show has gone on hiatus, issuing a statement saying, the show has “postponed production on the three original episodes scheduled for next week, which lead into a previously scheduled hiatus. We will continue to monitor the situation closely with plans to return on Monday, March 30.”
“The Late Late Show With James Corden” – Corden’s CBS show decided to follow every other late night show on TV and suspend is shooting schedule.
“Full Frontal With Samantha Bee” – TBS released a statement announcing that the show is “going on hiatus and will be dark the week of March 16,” after the CBS production offices and studios where it shoots became “compromised.”
“The Wendy Williams Show” – Production on the syndicated talk show has been suspended “indefinitely.” It will air repeats.
“Tamron Hall” – The talk show is suspending production beginning March 16, and said in a statement that it hopes “to be back on the air with new shows as soon as possible.”
“Dynasty” – According to sources to sources close the production, the CW series has suspended production.
“Supergirl” – The list of CW superhero shows that have shutdown includes “Batwoman,” “The Flash,” and now “Supergirl.”
“Lucifer” – The Tom Ellis-led series has ceased production for the time being.
“God Friended Me” – The CBS series has suspended production.
“Claws” – The TNT series has halted production on its fourth and final season.
“Queen Sugar” – The OWN shows had just started production on season 5.
“All Rise” – Currently in its freshman season on CBS, “All Rise” has suspended production for the moment.
“Pennyworth” – Season 2 of the Epix series has closed down production.
“The Flight Attendant” – The forthcoming HBO Max series from “Big Bang Theory” alum Kaley Cuoco has halted production, according to sources.
“General Hospital” – ABC has announced that the soap opera would suspend production as of Monday, March 16 until Friday, April 10. But because the show shoots so far ahead, ABC does “not anticipate an interruption in the broadcast of original episodes.”
“Home & Family” – The Hallmark Channel weekday talk show, which films on the Universal lot, has shut down. Producer Crown Media issued this statement: “We plan to air encore episodes at this time, and we will continue to monitor the situation with the CDC and state officials to determine the best time to return and produce new episodes of ‘Home & Family.'”
PILOTS
Disney has shut down production on 16 different pilots that were being produced under its umbrella of studios. Here are the prospective shows whose production has been suspended.
ABC: “Adopted,” “The Big Sky,” “The Brides,” “Harlem’s Kitchen,” “Home Economics,” “Kids Matter Now,” “My Village,” “Prospect,” “Rebel,” “Thirtysomething(else),” “Valley Trash,” “Work Wife,” “Wreckage,” and Untitled Kapnek/Holland Project.
NBC: “Ordinary Joe,”
Fox: “The Big Leap,” “The Cleaning Lady,” “Pivoting,” Untitled Film Re-Enactment Project.
CBS:
CW: “Kung Fu”
FILM
“Avatar” Sequels – Production on the three planned “Avatar” sequels in New Zealand has been “postponed until further notice.” A group of the franchise’s execs were scheduled to fly over to New Zealand on March 20, but they will now remain in Los Angeles and plan to return to the studios in Wellington where shooting is taking place later this year.
“Matrix 4” – Warner Bros. shuttered production on “The Matrix” as the coronavirus pandemic continues to spread. The film had moved from San Francisco to Berlin and was preparing to shoot the week of March 16 in Germany, but chose to hold off.
“Uncharted” – The Sony big screen adaptation of the popular video game has hit pause on its pre-production for at least a six week period, as the entertainment industry heads into uncharted waters due to the coronavirus.
“Fantastic Beasts 3” – With production expected to start on Monday in the U.K., Warner Bros. has postponed the third installment of “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.”
“Samaritan” – MGM’s Sylvester Stallone thriller is going on a minimum two-week hiatus to keep safe. The production had been shooting in Atlanta.
“Vengeance” – B.J. Novak’s directorial debut has been put on a two-week hiatus. Details have been kept under wraps, but Novak, Issa Rae, Ashton Kutcher and Boyd Holbrook are set to star in it.
“The Card Counter” – On March 16, Paul Schrader announced on Facebook that his movie “The Card Counter” had shut down “five days before wrap by my pussified producers because an LA day player had the corona virus.” The “Taxi Driver” screenwriter continued, “Myself, I would have shot through hellfire rain to complete the film. I’m old and asthmatic, what better way to die than on the job?”
“Red Notice” – Netflix has placed “Red Notice,” starring Dwayne Johnson, Gal Gadot and Ryan Reynolds, on a two-week hiatus. The film had been shooting all over the world and recently moved to Atlanta.
“The Batman” – Warner Bros. has suspended production on Matt Reeves’ “The Batman” for two weeks. The film had been shooting on a sound stage with plans to move to Liverpool, and the company thought it was best to go on hiatus during the location change.
“Jurassic World: Dominion” – The third in the new “Jurassic” series had been shooting in London since February, but has been shut down as part of Universal’s across the board shutterings. It is scheduled to release in June 2021, but the disruption might change that.
“Flint Strong” – Another Universal film, this boxing drama stars Ice Cube and Ryan Destiny. It’s set to be directed by the feature directing debut of Rachel Morrison, the “Black Panther” cinematographer who made history with her Oscar nomination for “Mudbound,” a first for a woman DP.
“Shrine” – a horror thriller from Screen Gems, shut down for a four-week hiatus. It’s the directorial debut from screenwriter Evan Spiliotopoulos, starring Jeffrey Dean Morgan. Earlier on Saturday, Mark Duplass, had shamed Sony on Twitter for not shutting down (Duplass’s wife Katie Aselton co-stars). The production, underway since February, had been in meetings for several days prior to the Duplass tweet over how to fully pause filming, one insider said.
“The Man From Toronto” – This Sony action-comedy with Kevin Hart, which on March 10 had replaced Jason Statham with Woody Harrelson, has paused the production start for the movie.
“Shang-Chi” – The Marvel movie suspended production because director Destin Daniel Cretton wasn’t feeling well, and was told by a doctor to self-isolate while he waited for the result of a COVID-19 test.
“The Little Mermaid” – Fans will likely have to wait a little while longer to be transported under the sea, as Disney has indefinitely postponed production on the live-action remake.
“Nightmare Alley” – Guillermo del Toro’s upcoming pic is one the productions that Disney has put a temporary stopper in.
“Geechee” – The Andrea Riseborough-starring supernatural thriller was suppposed to begin shooting in the Dominican Republic the week of March 16, but has suspended production.
“Home Alone” – Another upcoming Disney pic whose production has been delayed.
“Peter Pan & Wendy” – Hopefully this Disney film hasn’t been sent to Neverland because its production has been shut down.
“The Last Duel” – The Ben Affleck, Matt Damon and Ridley Scott film is scheduled for a Dec. 25 release date, and it is unknown whether that will be affected by the production halting.
“Shrunk” – Disney has halted production on almost all its live-action films, and this “Honey, I Shrunk the Kids” sequel is on the list.
“The Prom” – Ryan Murphy’s big screen adaptation of the Broadway musical has been forced to abandon production for the time being.
Untitled Billy Eichner/Nick Stoller/Judd Apatow project – This queer romantic comedy, one of the first by a major studio, was set to begin filming in April. Universal has confirmed that production has been delayed.
Untitled Elvis project – On Wednesday, March 11, Tom Hanks and his wife Rita Wilson self-quarantined after announcing they had both tested positive for the coronavirus. The Baz Lurhmann directed feature has been halted.
“Mission Impossible: 7” – The seventh edition in the iconic Tom Cruise film franchise was scheduled to shoot for three weeks in Venice, Italy. However, given that the entire country is currently on lockdown, Paramount Pictures has delayed the Italian leg of its production plans for the highly anticipated action pic.
“Birds of Paradise” – The ballet drama at Amazon has shuttered its production for the time being. Director Sarah Adina Smith shared the news via social media, saying that the production was six days away from wrapping.
“Official Competition” – The Penelope Cruz and Antonio Banderas movie has suspended its shoot in Madrid, according to it production outfit The Mediapro Studio.
“The Nightingale” – Sony’s Dakota and Elle Fanning pic has suspended its production, which was taking place in Budapest.
Matt Donnelly and Justin Kroll contributed to this report.
