Hollywood has been at a standstill for months thanks to the coronavirus. Even with certain countries like the UK giving producers the go-ahead to start things back up, that’s been slow to happen. It’s one thing to get the greenlight, but it’s another for studios to put into practices that can ensure the safety of their cast and crew, to iron out insurance issues, etc.
But there are signs of life. Deadline reports that Universal will resume production on Jurassic World: Dominion, the third and final film in the spectacularly successful Jurassic World franchise, in early-mid July. Stars Chris Pratt (Owen Grady) and Bryce Dallas Howard (Claire Dearing) are flying out to the UK soon to begin their mandated 14-day quarantine period. Universal chairman Donna Langley has been pushing hard for the industry to get back into production, and Dominion director Colin Trevorrow was reportedly instrumental in getting the cast and crew comfortable with coming back.
But when things do start back up, they’re going to be different. Universal is taking a lot of safety measures, including commissioning a private medical facility to manage the production’s medical needs, coronavirus training for all cast and crew, on-site doctors and nurses, isolation booths, 150 hand sanitizer stations, night anti-viral “fogs,” and more than 1,800 safety signs put up around Pinewood Studios in Iver Heath. And obviously masks are required for anyone who isn’t an actor speaking lines.
“Anyone with symptoms will be isolated immediately before being sent home,” said a Universal executive. “We want to make sure that we are going above and beyond the national protocols to create a safe environment. Cost isn’t our main concern now: it’s safety. We will take direction from our medical team, but we’re confident that with the staggered scheduling and zones of talent and crew, along with a system of contact tracing, we can move forward with limited delay in production.”
Day One#JurassicWorld pic.twitter.com/UnQIUFwJ3t
— Colin Trevorrow (@colintrevorrow) February 25, 2020
This could potentially clear the way for other big projects that were filming in the UK before the shutdown, stuff like The Batman, the next Fantastic Beasts movie, and the second season of The Witcher. And Hollywood is getting back into the swing of things elsewhere in the world as well, with Avatar 2 resuming production in New Zealand.
The next question is whether this is a good idea. We have a better understand of how the coronavirus is spread now, and the safety precautions Universal is taking are surely a step forward. But as parts of the United States, for example, relax their lockdown measures, we’re seeing spikes in cases. Is it still too early for Hollywood to get back to work? We may not know until it’s too late.
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