Disney Stops Production On Most Live-Action Movies Due To Coronavirus

Following the news that Disney has suspended filming the Marvel movie Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings due the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, the studio has now shut down production and pre-production of most of its other live-action films. These include the live-action version of The Little Mermaid, the remake of Home Alone, and Guillermo Del Toro's thriller Nightmare Alley.

As reported by Variety, work on these Disney films has been postponed for what the studio describes as "a short time." Other affected films include Peter Pan & Wendy, Ridley Scott's historical thriller The Last Duel, and Shrunk, which is a sequel to Honey, I Shrunk the Kids.

A statement from the studio reads, "While there have been no confirmed cases of COVID-19 on our productions, after considering the current environment and the best interests of our cast and crew, we have made the decision to pause production on some of our live-action films for a short time. We will continue to assess the situation and restart as soon as feasible."

Production on Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings was suspended after director Destin Daniel Cretton self-isolated himself on doctor's advice. Although Cretton has not shown any symptoms of the virus, he had taken the COVID-19 test because he has a newborn baby. The movie had been shooting in Australia since last month, ahead of its February 2021 release.

These production delays follow Disney's decision to postpone the release of three of its upcoming movies--Mulan, The New Mutants, and Antlers. The studio has not announced new release dates for these. No announcement has been made so far about the Marvel movie Black Widow, which currently releases in May.

Other big films to be delayed because of the coronavirus include Fast 9, which now arrives in April 2021, and the horror sequel A Quiet Place: Part 2. In the video game world, this month's Game Developers Conference was postponed, while E3 2020 has been canceled entirely.