The film and entertainment industry is slowly getting back on track even as confirmed coronavirus cases still continue to rise in different places around the globe. One of the latest signs of the industry adapting to the new normal is news of the new Mission Impossible film restarting filming this September.
Variety reports that outdoor shots for the new film will begin to be shot in September, citing Mission Impossible actor Simon Pegg as a source. The film had earlier halted filming due to the global coronavirus pandemic that still rages on even now.
According to Pegg, he expects that precautions will be in place as the outdoor shots will be filmed and even joked that perhaps there would be a distance of five feet from actors during fight scenes.
On a more serious note, Pegg said that people involved in shots that require social distancing to be broken will have to determined safe to do that. Pegg also admitted that he had no idea as to what the testing situation would be on set or whether regular testing would be conducted.
Deadline, meanwhile, quotes first assistant director Tommy Gormley about what is in store for the projected September shooting dates. According to Gormley, the production hopes to shoot in all the planned locations around the world but also aiming to shoot most of the movie in the United Kingdom either in studios or in a backlot. The shoots are expected to last until April or May of next year.
Gormley also expressed confidence about the “excellent” guidelines provided by the British Film Commission, saying that the challenges posed by the global coronavirus pandemic can be overcome with the careful breakdown and following of procedures.
Another thing that Gormley stressed is the importance of restarting productions like the Mission Impossible films to the workers that make up the film and entertainment industry. He said that there are “tens of thousands:” of them that need to get back to work and that production companies are doing what they can to make it happen.
New tentpole films like Mission Impossible are certainly needed by the film and entertainment industry right now, as the North American box office is expected to drop by more than 50 percent because of theater closures and rescheduled premieres brought about by the global coronavirus pandemic.
Even before that dire prediction, the North American box office had already suffered a $600 million deficit during the month of March. Globally, the film industry is expected to lose $5 billion due to the closure of big markets like South Korea and Japan.