Postponed, halted, cancelled: How COVID-19 is affecting your favourite movies and TV shows.

TV and movie production around the world has faced major disruption as we all grapple with the coronavirus pandemic.

What this means in the long run is not entirely clear as the entertainment industry, as with basically every other, is navigating uncharted territory. Networks, distribution companies and of course, award shows, usually adhere to pretty strict calendars, but in the age of COVID-19, that’s all been thrown out the window.

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In many cases, movie release dates have been pushed out. Live TV shows are filming without audiences (if they’re filming at all), while more and more TV series are facing delays as sets are closed and filming locations shut down.

Here’s how the global pandemic has impacted upcoming movies and television:

Movies.

As people practice social distancing and self-isolation, cinemas are among the public places experiencing limited foot traffic. Many of the United States’ largest cinema chains have closed doors to movie theatres, but here in Australia the large chains, including Hoyts and Event Cinemas are keeping their doors open – at least for now.

Mamamia’s daily entertainment podcast The Spill catches you up on how COVID-19 is impacting the entertainment industry. Post continues below audio.

But even if you can still go to the movies, many of the year’s biggest releases have been postponed.

• Daniel Craig’s final (for real, this time) appearance as James Bond in No Time To Die was meant to be released this month, but has been pushed to November 2020
• Peter Rabbit 2‘s release has been pushed to August
• Disney’s live action reboot of Mulan was supposed to be released this month, but it has been postponed
• John Krasinski’s A Quiet Place Part II has been postponed, but a new release date has not been announced
• Scarlett Johansson’s standalone Marvel film Black Widow‘s release has been postponed
• Fast & Furious 9 has been pushed to a 2021 release
• Trolls World Tour‘s Australian release has been delayed until September
• Production of Baz Luhrmann’s untitled Elvis biopic, starring Tom Hanks who tested positive for COVID-19 last week, has been halted
• Marvel movie Shang-Chi and The Legend of the Ten Rings has suspended production in Sydney
• Disney has also paused production on The Little Mermaid, Home Alone, The Last Duel, Nightmare Alley, Peter Pan & Wendy, and Shrunk
• Paramount has pulled the release of its films Blue Story and The Lovebirds
• Disney has released Frozen 2 to its screening service Disney+, three months early
• Production of Tom Cruise’s Mission Impossible: 7 has been delayed as its location, Venice, is quarantined

TV.

As the world’s population stay put at home, streaming services will be a godsend. But despite an increased number of people home watching TV, the production of shows around the world are shutting down due to coronavirus.

In Australia, many reality shows are still filming, at least for now, but you know things are real when Neighbours shuts down. Unlike Ramsay St, and most other fictional TV locations, Home and Away’s Summer Bay is still trucking along as dramatic as ever.

• Netflix has halted production on all projects in North America including Stranger Things, The Witcher and the final season of Grace and Frankie
• Neighbours production has been put on hold by Network 10
• The Project, Studio 10 and Dancing With The Stars are filming without studio audiences
• Australian Ninja Warrior is allowing only family members at live shows
• The Amazing Race Australia‘s 2020 season will feature a domestic route, with travel only within Australia
• The Voice Australia filming has been temporarily postponed
• Filming of season 16 of The Block is continuing, with the construction site closed to anyone not essential to production
• Filming for the latest US season of The Bachelorette has been postponed, but Australia’s The Bachelor, which is currently filming with new bachie Locky Gilbert, is still going along as usual for now
• Big Brother Australia is still filming as normal, with production telling the contestants of the coronavirus pandemic this week
• All actively filming Apple TV+ series have paused, including Reese Witherspoon and Jennifer Aniston’s award-nominated The Morning Show, which is on a two-week production hiatus
• Shooting for Riverdale season four has been completely halted
• The fourth season of The Handmaid’s Tale halted production
• Grey’s Anatomy‘s production has been postponed for at least two weeks
• CBS show’s including the NCIS franchise and Dynasty have postponed production
• Dun, Dun – Law & Order: SVU has paused production for two weeks
• Late night shows including The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, The Late Late Show With James Cordon, The Daily Show With Trevor Noah and Last Week Tonight With John Oliver have suspended production
• Saturday Night Live (SNL) has halted its season
• All Amazon Prime original series including Lord of the Rings and Orlando Bloom’s Carnival Row have paused production
• WarnerMedia shows including Euphoria have suspended production
• Season 11 of The Walking Dead, currently in pre-production, has postponed production for at least three weeks

What all this means for upcoming TV seasons, entertainment industry jobs and awards nominations is yet to be seen, but the impacts are definitely going to be widespread and long-lasting.

Thankfully Stan has box sets of many bingeable shows like The Office, Friends and Grey’s Anatomy, and Netflix is home to feel good shows like The Good Place and Grace and Frankie.

With 2020’s entertainment schedule so heavily disrupted, well… It might just become the year of the rerun.

Read more on COVID-19: 

• What you need to know about COVID-19 today, Thursday 19 March.
• Every feel-good TV show and movie you should stream on Netflix and Stan while you’re stuck at home.
• 28 Days Later to Contagion: 13 virus-themed films to binge because WHY ARE WE LIKE THIS.
• “I’m an ex-teacher, and I can tell you that social distancing at schools will not work.”
• Sore throat? Cough? A doctor explains what to do if you have coronavirus-like symptoms.
• “I was utterly exhausted with whole-body aches.” Exactly what it feels like to have COVID-19.

The Australian Government Department of Health advises that the only people who will be tested for COVID-19 are those with symptoms who have either returned from overseas in the past 14 days or been in close contact with a confirmed COVID-19 case in the past 14 days. 

If you are sick and believe you have symptoms of COVID-19, call your GP ahead of time to book an appointment. Or call the national Coronavirus Health Information Line for advice on 1800 020 080. If you are experiencing a medical emergency, call 000. 

To keep up to date with the latest information, please visit the Department of Health website.

Feature images: SBS, Instagram and ABC.