Mulan, Fast & Furious 9, A Quiet Place 2 delayed, Shang-Chi suspends production

As the coronavirus pandemic grips the world, movie studios have suspended productions and pulled its blockbuster films from the schedule.

The coronavirus is wreaking havoc with the entertainment industry as fears over its spread has led to more blockbusters being pulled from release.

Marvel movie Shang-Chi has suspended production in Sydney after director Destin Daniel Cretton went into self-isolation on the advice of his doctor.

According to Variety, Cretton is a new father and wanted to exercise “additional caution”. Second unit production will continue.

The movie stars Simu Lu, Awkwafina and Tony Leung and has been shooting at Sydney’s Fox Studios since last month. The film was due for release in February 2021, but release dates for Hollywood movies are in flux in the wake of coronavirus fears after the postponement of several tentpole films.

Shang-Chi director Destin Daniel Cretton is in self-isolation, leading to the movie’s production being suspended (Photo by Emma McIntyre/Getty Images)

Mulan, due for release at the end of this month, was just pulled from the schedule by Disney, along with Antlers and New Mutants. They have not been rescheduled.

The news comes as the London premiere of Mulan was wrapping up.

Mulan director Niki Caro wrote on social media: “Given the current ever-shifting circumstances we are all experiencing, unfortunately, we have to postpone the worldwide release of Mulan for now.

“Our hearts are with everyone the world over who is affected by this virus, and we hope that Mulan’s fighting spirit will continue to inspire those who are working so hard to keep us all safe.”

Mulan will no longer be released in two weeks’ time

The drastic action from Disney follows Universal’s announcement Fast & Furious 9, which was scheduled for release in early May will be delayed by almost a year. It will now come out in April 2021.

Filmmaker and actor John Krasinski also revealed on social media A Quiet Place 2, the follow-up to his successful thriller from 2018, will also be pulled. A Quiet Place 2 was to open next week in Australia and has already been running promos for several weeks. It had its worldwide premiere in New York City last weekend.

Krasinski posted: “One of the things I’m most proud of is that people have said our movie is one you have to see all together. Well due to the ever-changing circumstances of what’s going on in the world around us, now is clearly not the right time to do that.

“As insanely excited as we are for all of you to see this movie… I’m gonna wait to release the film ’til we can all see it together. See you soon!”

A Quiet Place 2, starring Emily Blunt, will be postponed until a later not-yet-confirmed date (Jonny Cournoyer/Paramount Pictures via AP)

Paramount hasn’t confirmed a rescheduled date but said in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter that it “looked forward to bringing this film to audiences this year once we have a better understanding of the impact on this pandemic on the global theatrical marketplace”.

Paramount pulled two more releases from its schedule, Blue Story and The Lovebirds. The latter is a comedy starring Issa Rae and Kumail Nanjiani as a couple who inadvertently become immersed in a murder mystery.

Earlier this week, Sony delayed its release of Peter Rabbit 2, which was also scheduled for release next week, until September.

MGM and Universal were the first to blink last week when it announced it was pulling Bond movie No Time To Die from its early April date until November.

No Time To Die will now be released in November

The entertainment industry is being hard by the effects of coronavirus as the global spread escalates dramatically in recent days, after it was first discovered in the Chinese city of Wuhan two months ago.

In China, all 70,000 of its cinemas have been shuttered since late January, leading to $US1.9 billion in foregone revenue for the months of January and February alone.

With countries including Italy and Denmark instigating full lockdowns of public spaces and fearful people the world over staying away from gatherings, public events have been cancelled or delayed.

High-profile festivals and conventions such as Coachella, SXSW and E3 have all been impacted while the F1 Australian Grand Prix appears to be postponed. This morning, Tribeca Film Festival announced it was postponing.

Tasmania’s Dark Mofo festival was cancelled earlier this week, three months out.

Touring artists and comedians such as the Pixies and Steve Martin have suspended their dates. Broadway shows have been cancelled for at least a month.

Meanwhile, movie and TV productions have started to be halted, including the next Mission Impossible instalment, The Amazing Race, Morning Wars, Riverdale, The Falcon and Winter Soldier, Carnival Row and Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis biopic, the latter after star Tom Hanks and wife Rita Wilson tested positive for COVID-19 while in pre-production in Queensland.

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