Odeon's closed, productions halted, movies delayed : the impact of the coronavirus - Part 2

Usually on a Wednesday I would report on the latest release new movies coming to an Odeon near you in Australia during the week commencing tomorrow. But as cinemas all around the country and elsewhere are temporarily closed, this week and for the foreseeable future this is not to be. So, as the world remains in lockdown, self isolation is the new de rigueur, and the vast majority of the worlds countries are suffering from the impact of the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak that has seen large social gatherings forbidden, stores and businesses shut their doors indefinitely, millions of people now working from home or stood down, the global economy on an ever descending downward spiral, borders closed, airlines grounded, and all but essential services and retailers still operating. And, as at the time of writing, there still remains no end in sight! What we do know, as history tells us, that this pandemic will pass, eventually, but who knows when, and who knows what the world will look like on the other side?

And so last week I reported on all the latest big movies that were slated for release over the next six months or so, that have subsequently been pushed back to some future date either later on this year, or next year, or at an as yet undisclosed date. This week I turn attention to all of those movies that were in production at the time the global pandemic was announced and as a consequence have taken a hiatus from their filming schedule until such time as a sense of normality is restored.

So, in case you were wondering what the production status is of the big movies that were filming at the time the outbreak took hold, here is what we know of them so far :-

* KING RICHARD' - is a biographical drama film Directed by Reinaldo Marcus Green and stars Will Smith as Richard Williams, Saniyya Sidney as Venus Williams, Demi Singleton as Serena Williams with Jon Bernthal, Liev Schreiber, and Dylan McDermott. Filming commenced in Los Angeles in January, but was halted temporarily in March. The film remains slated for a 25th November 2020 release.

* 'THE LAST DUEL' - this historical drama thriller film is Directed by Ridley Scott, and is based on the book 'The Last Duel : A True Story of Trial by Combat in Medieval France' by Eric Jager. The screenplay is Co-Written by Ben Affleck, Matt Damon and Nicole Holofcener and stars Matt Damon in the lead role supported by Adam Driver, Jodie Comer and Ben Affleck. Filming began in France on 14th February and was due to move to Ireland in March, but production was halted on the 13th March for an unidentified period. The film is due for release 8th January 2021.

* 'SHANG-CHI AND THE LEGEND OF THE TEN RINGS' -  is a Superhero film based on the Marvel Comics character Shang-Chi. Produced by Marvel Studios it is intended to be the 26th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). The film is directed by Destin Daniel Cretton and stars Simu Liu as Shang-Chi (Marvel's first film with an Asian lead Actor). Also starring Tony Leung, Awkwafina and Ronny Chieng. Filming began in Sydney, Australia in February but was halted on 13th March, with a release date now scheduled for 7th May 2021.

* 'THE MATRIX 4' - is a Sci-Fi action film and the fourth instalment in 'The Matrix' franchise beginning with 1999's 'The Matrix' and continuing with two sequels, 'The Matrix Reloaded' and 'The Matrix Revolutions' (both in 2003). The film is Co-Written, Co-Produced and Directed by Lana Wachowski, one of the two Wachowskis who Directed the previous three films. Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Anne Moss, Jada Pinkett Smith, and Lambert Wilson reprise their roles from previous films in the series. Production began in San Francisco on 4th February, but later on in March production was halted. The film is set for a release date of 21st May 2021.

* 'JURASSIC WORLD : DOMINION' -  is a Sci-Fi adventure film Directed, Co-Written for the screen and based on a story by Colin Trevorrow, who also Directed 2015's 'Jurassic World'. This sequel to the 2018's 'Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom', it is the sixth film in the 'Jurassic Park' franchise and the final film in the 'Jurassic World' trilogy. The film stars Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, Sam Neill, Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum, Jake Johnson, Omar Sy, Daniella Pineda, Justice Smith, Isabella Sermon, and B.D. Wong who all reprise their roles from previous instalments. Principal photography began on 24th February in British Columbia, then moved to England, and on 13th March production was halted for an indefinite period. The film is due to be released on 11th June 2021.

* 'THE BATMAN' -  this Superhero film is based on the DC Comics character of the same name, who we all know and love. Produced by DC Films it is developed as the tenth film in the DC Extended Universe (DCEU) and a reboot of the 'Batman' film franchise. Directed, Co-Written and Co-Produced by Matt Reeves the film stars Robert Pattinson as Bruce Wayne/Batman with  Zoe Kravitz, Paul Dano, Jeffrey Wright, John Turturro, Peter Sarsgaard, Andy Serkis, and Colin Farrell. Filming began in London, England in late January but was halted indefinitely. The film is slated for a 25th June 2021 release.

* MISSION : IMPOSSIBLE 7' - this action spy film is Directed, Written and Co-Produced by Christopher McQuarrie, and starring Tom Cruise, who reprises his role as Ethan Hunt once again. It is the seventh installment of the 'Mission : Impossible' film franchise and the third film to be Directed by McQuarrie after 2015's 'Rogue Nation' and 2018's 'Fallout'. The cast includes Henry Czerny, Simon Pegg, Rebecca Ferguson, and Vanessa Kirby, all of whom reprise their roles from the previous films, along with Hayley Atwell, Pom Klementieff, Shea Whigham, and Nicholas Hoult, who will join the franchise. Filming was due to begin on 20th February in Venice for three weeks before moving to Rome for another six weeks however, due to the coronavirus pandemic becoming more pronounced in Italy, production in the country was suspended. The film is due to be released on 23rd July 2021.

* 'ELVIS' - this Biopic is Directed, Co-Produced and Co-Written for the screen by Baz Luhrmann and charts the life and career of Rock 'n' Roll legend Elvis Presley. Starring Austin Butler as Elvis with Tom Hanks as Colonel Tom Parker and Olivia DeJonge, Maggie Gyllenhaal and Rufus Sewell. Filming began in Australia in January, but was subsequently put on hold when Tom Hanks and his wife Rita Wilson were both positively diagnosed with Covid-19. The film is scheduled for release on 1st October 2021.

* 'FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM 3' - this third instalment in the fantasy spin-off and prequel series to the 'Harry Potter' franchise is Written by J.K.Rowling and Directed once more by David Yates. Starring Eddie Redmayne as our young wizarding hero Newt Scamander with Johnny Depp, Jude Law, Katherine Waterston, Ezra Miller, Dan Fogler, Zoe Kravitz and Jessica Williams reprising their roles from the previous films. Production was due to begin in late March, with much of the schedule being filmed in Brazil. However, photography didn't even get started and has been delayed until an undisclosed date. The release however, is still slated for 12th November 2021.

* 'UNCHARTED' - based on the popular action adventure video game series that launched in 2007, the main series of games follows Nathan Drake, a treasure hunter who travels across the world to uncover various historical mysteries. The film is Directed by Ruben Fleischer and stars Tom Holland as Nathan Drake and Mark Wahlberg as Victor Sullivan with Antonio Banderas. Filming was due to start in Berlin, Germany in mid-March but was halted for a minimum of six weeks when much of Europe closed its borders and countries were forced into lock down. The film is now slated for release on 8th December 2021.

* 'AVATAR 2 and 3' - these epic Sci-Fi films are the first two of four planned sequels to the hugely successful 2009 film 'Avatar' and is once again Directed, Co-Produced, Co-Written, and Co-Edited by James Cameron. Featuring an all star cast many of whom are reprising their roles from the first film, namely Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Giovanni Ribisi, Stephen Lang, with Sigourney Weaver returning in a different role, joined by the likes of  Kate Winslet, Cliff Curtis, Edie Falco, Brendan Cowell, Michelle Yeoh, Jemaine Clement, Oona Chaplin, David Thewlis, Vin Diesel, and C. J. Jones. 'Avatar 2' started production and began preliminary shooting in mid-August 2017, with Manhattan Beach, California as the main shooting location, and principal photography started in late September 2017, simultaneously with 'Avatar 3'. On November 14, 2018, Cameron announced filming with the principal performance capture cast had been completed. It was then reported that live-action filming for 'Avatar 2 and 3' would commence in New Zealand in the spring of 2019. Filming for 2019 concluded in late November, and would continue in 2020 in New Zealand. Come mid-March this year and it was announced that the filming of the Avatar sequel films in New Zealand had been postponed indefinitely and that production would remain in Los Angeles. However, virtual production will continue in Manhattan Beach, California while visual effects will continue at Weta Digital in Wellington. 'Avatar 2' is set for a release date of 17th December 2021, and 'Avatar 3' on 22nd December 2023.

* 'NIGHTMARE ALLEY' - is a psychological thriller film Directed, Co-Produced, and Co-Written for the screen by Guillermo del Toro and based on the 1946 book of the same name by William Lindsay Gresham. Featuring an all star cast that takes in Bradley Cooper, Cate Blanchett, Toni Collette, Willem Dafoe, Richard Jenkins, Ron Perlman, Rooney Mara, David Strathairn, and Holt McCallany, filming began on 21st January and was halted on 13th March indefinitely. No release date for the film has yet been publicised.

* 'RED NOTICE' - is an action comedy thriller film Written, Co-Produced and Directed by Rawson Marshall Thurber. Starring Dwayne Johnson, Ryan Reynolds and Gal Gadot filming began in Atlanta, Georgia in January and was then due to move to Italy. When the pandemic became more virulent in Italy it was announced on 14th March that production would be shut down for at least two weeks . . . and counting! Originally scheduled for a June 12th 2020 release, this subsequently got moved to 13th November 2020, the film was then picked up by Netflix who have as yet not revealed a planned release date.

* 'THE LITTLE MERMAID' - this live action remake of Disney's classic animated feature film from 1989 which gave rise to a direct-to-video sequel, a prequel film, a spin-off television series, a musical, several video games, theme park attractions, and other merchandise is Directed by Rob Marshall. Based on the story by Hans Christian Anderson and starring Halle Bailey, Melissa McCarthy, Awkwafina, Jacob Tremblay, Idris Elba, Megan Fox, Alan Cumming, Halle Berry, Lupita Nyong'o amongst others, filming was due to commence in April, but was halted in March, with no planned release date yet announced.

* 'HOME ALONE' - this reboot of the 1990 classic Christmas comedy film of the same name will be the sixth instalment in the franchise which saw the first two, and undoubtedly the most successful in the series, Directed by Chris Columbus and starring Macauley Culkin in the lead role as the eight year old kid left 'home alone' during the Christmas holidays. Filming was due to take place in Montreal between February and April but come mid-March and Disney announced a wholesale halt to its production schedule until further notice. Archie Yates has been cast in the lead role, with allegedly a reprisal of the Kevin McCallister character by Macauley Culkin also making an appearance. No release date has yet been announced.

And so this just about brings you up to date with many of the movie productions whose filming has been temporarily halted for who knows how long that this pesky virus thing continues to hang around for. Stay tuned, keep it here and remain safe . . . indoors!

-Steve, at Odeon Online-