New Safety Measures Will Make It Very Hard for Big Movies to Resume Filming

Along with the positive news that several big movie productions are all set to return to filming soon comes some slightly more negative news that they may well struggle to do so. When 2020 gives with one hand, it seemingly takes away with the other. The likes of The Batman, Marvel’s Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Jurassic World: Dominion, and Avatar 2 are all on the list of movies looking to start up production again, but according to reports it is going to be much harder than expected for many of these to restart production amidst the ongoing global circumstances.

In a breakdown of the challenges facing productions, TheWrap reports that “studios are still determining how implementation of these protocols will be carried out on projects of various sizes, particularly blockbusters like Jurassic World: Dominion, The Batman, and Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. Insurance and the specific protocols for various shooting locations in other states and countries are also issues that are still to be resolved.”

There have been many discussions over the last few weeks regarding how such large movie productions will be able to adhere to social distancing and other health and safety protocols. On top of these, American studios that shoot in other countries will also have to deal with immigration and local regulations, which will not necessarily be the same as in the U.S., meaning that the likes The Batman and Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings will not be able to begin again for some months.

The federal government is looking to get the economy going again as soon as possible, whereas those states hit hardest by the ongoing situation are likely to remain wearier and more closed off whilst they try to get things to a more manageable level. This will also be the case internationally, with Americans likely to be seen as a potential public health risk since the country has had more confirmed cases and deaths than any other nation. With travel to other nations resulting in a mandatory 14-day quarantine, there are going to be a lot of different factors to navigate when it comes to getting the entertainment industry underway once more.

The news that productions could start up again has grown over the last few weeks due to various countries announcing that they would be reopening, and therefore would allow for movies and TV shows to continue filming. While most remain delayed, for now, the first major production to set a definite start date is Avatar 2, with plans for the sci-fi sequel to begin production in New Zealand again in two weeks’ time following director James Cameron and the crew finishing a mandatory 2-week quarantine. Other than Avatar 2, the upcoming Mission: Impossible 7 is aiming to resume filming in September.

Clearly, it is going to be quite difficult for movies to restart production, with the “new normal” putting many obstacles in the way. There is also still the potential impact of a second wave, and thus all of the current penciled-in plans are subject to change. This comes to us from TheWrap.

Topics: The Batman, Jurassic World 3, Shang-Chi, Avatar 2