Shut down

Robert Pattinson’s The Batman has shut down production for two weeks. The Matt Reeves directorial is the latest Hollywood film to suspend shoot in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

The crew was shooting on a sound stage in London since January and was planning to change locations to Liverpool, but Warner Bros thought it was best to go on hiatus during the location change, reported Variety.

It is uncertain when the shoot was going to end and whether it will impact the June 2021 release of the film, which also stars Zoe Kravitz and Andy Serkis.

Among the other films from the studio — Fantastic Beasts 3 did not start production in London on Monday, while work on the tennis drama King Richard, filming in Los Angeles, was suspended, reported Deadline. The studio is yet to announce when the shoots will resume.

On the long list of Hollywood films put on temporary hold are Disney Studio’s The Little Mermaid and Peter Pan & Wendy, Home Alone, The Last Duel, Nightmare Alley, and Shrunk.

Universal’s Jurassic World: Dominion and Flint Strong would also be taking a hiatus while Sony’s The Man From Toronto followed suit.

Elisabeth Moss, who stars in Amazon’s dystopian drama The Handmaid’s Tale YouTube/Jimmy Kimmel Live

Amazon on hold

Production of Amazon’s Lord of the Rings TV series in New Zealand has been suspended for two weeks. Production staff, reportedly numbering 800, have been told not to come from Monday after the country closed its borders on March 13, said The Hollywood Reporter.

None of the crew members have tested positive for the coronavirus but they have been directed not to report to the studio without the “express permission of your supervisor”.

The fourth season of Amazon’s dystopian drama The Handmaid’s Tale also shut down production. Series lead Elisabeth Moss, who will be making her directorial debut with the new season, said the team was putting the shoot on hold “in order to preserve the health and safety of our cast and crew and join the world in an attempt to flatten the curve”.

She added that the team will resume production “as soon as it’s safe to do so”.

In the world of streaming, Netflix halted production on the second season of its fantasy drama The Witcher.

Deadline said the Henry Cavill-starrer, which is shot at London’s Arborfield Studios, is the first major scripted series to be put on hold in the UK. The crew was told about the decision via email on Sunday.

Irrfan Khan in Angrezi Medium File picture

Close home

Hit by the coronavirus and cinemas closing down across the country, Friday release Angrezi Medium registered a poor weekend, collecting just Rs 9 crore.

The makers of Rana Daggubati’s upcoming action spectacle Haathi Mere Saathi said on Monday that the film’s release has been postponed from April 2. YRF has also delayed the release of Dibakar Banerjee’s Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar starring Arjun Kapoor and Parineeti Chopra.

Also, Dharma Productions on Monday announced that they have suspended all administrative and production work, to “minimise the risk of exposure”.

Dharma’s statement comes a day after various film bodies in India including Federation of Western Indian Cine Employees, Indian Film & Television Directors’ Association and Producers Guild of India decided to put shootings of films, TV shows and web series on hold from March 19 to March 31.

According to a source, except for Salman Khan’s Radhe which is confirmed for an Id release, Gunjan Saxena — The Kargil Girl, Coolie No.1 and Laxmmi Bomb are waiting for Sooryavanshi and 83 to announce their new release dates.