The show must go on.
Following global shutdowns of film and television productions due to the coronavirus — which then prompted a major shuffling of release schedules — both Hollywood and the industry at large are ready to get cameras rolling again.
As the world moves into the next phases of the ongoing pandemic, large-scale productions including the Avatar sequels and Jurassic World: Dominion have announced plans to resume filming. Below, 360aproko is keeping an up-to-date account of which movie and TV productions are returning to set and when.
‘America’s Got Talent’
12:00 PM: America’s Got Talent became one of the first unscripted shows to return to production when they began filming in late June. Creator Simon Cowell told Deadline that there was “a real buzz of excitement” on set, in addition to new safety measures. Some of the changes included judges arriving in their own cars, handling their microphones and sitting socially-distanced during the acts. Additionally, filming took place outside, there was regular testing on set, and a pod system was set up for production.
‘Untitled Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz Project’
8:00 AM: Though official start dates are still TBD, California’s Film & TV Tax Credit Program announced 12 feature films set to film in the state, including the Cate Blanchett-starring biopic about Lucille Ball scripted by Aaron Sorkin.
The full list of films comprises Ashes to Oceans, Half Baked 2, Lady of the House, Live Feed, Moonshadow, Pursuit and The Test, plus indies The Black Hole, Dog, Dead Dads Club and Little America.
Netflix
‘The Witcher’
4:00 AM: Henry Cavill and The Witcher cast had begun filming season 2 in London when production was forced to go on hiatus in March. (Co-star Kristofer Hivju would reveal shortly thereafter that he tested positive for COVD-19.)
Now, the Netflix series’ official Twitter account has announced, in true The Witcher fashion, “I’m dusting off my lute and quill, I have some news, some mead to spill: After all the months we’ve been apart It’s time for production to restart. The Witcher and his bard – who’s flawless, will reunite on set 17 August.”
‘Jurassic World: Dominion’
10:00 AM: Director Colin Trevorrow and cast members Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard began filming Jurassic World: Dominion in February, only to halt production in early March. “There are plans to resume — and we will resume, as long as and when everyone knows that they are safe,” Howard told 360aproko.
360aproko has confirmed filming will resume in the U.K. the week of July 6 with a reported $5 million spent on health protocols. (See the full list of safety measures put in place here.)
‘Avatar’
9:00 AM: The New Zealand-based production was suspended in March, with director James Cameron and his cast of Na’vi decamping to their respective home bases until the N.Z. government gave the go-ahead to return. That came at the end of May and, following a mandatory 14-day self-isolation, cameras began rolling on the Avatar sequels in June with a smaller crew and safety precautions in effect.
Hollywood Is Open for Business
9:00 AM: After an industry-wide shutdown in March, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced that film and television productions had California’s blessing to resume on June 12 — subject to approval from county public health authorities and abiding to specific safety procedures amid the ongoing pandemic.
“To reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission, productions, cast, crew and other industry workers should abide by safety protocols agreed by labor and management, which may be further enhanced by county public health officers,” the California Department of Public Health said in a statement.
