Editor’s Note: The list is constantly updated. Dates refer to when announcements were made.
The Coronavirus outbreak is disrupting entertainment events in Hollywood and around the world, from the theatrical releases of major studio tentpoles to the launch of film festivals and TV conferences. IndieWire will continue to update this page with the latest breaking news regarding production delays, festival cancellations, release date changes, and more entertainment disruptions caused by the coronavirus. The most recent updates will be posted at the top of the running list below.
March 13
– Marvel Studios’ ‘Shang-Chi’ temporarily shuts down production, except for second-unit shoots, in Australia where the movie has been filming since February. According to Variety, its director, “Short Term 12” and “Just Mercy” helmer Destin Daniel Cretton has self-isolated and awaits COVID-19 test results, though he has not been experiencing symptoms. It is unclear if the production suspension will jeopardize the film’s scheduled February 2021 release.
March 12
–Production on Netflix’s “Grace and Frankie” has been suspended. Deadline reported that no return date for the Jane Fonda-led series has been set.
-The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is temporarily closing its museum, MoMA PS1, and the MoMA Design Stores in New York City, starting March 13. The locations will be closed through March 30.
–ABC’s “Grey’s Anatomy” has shut down production of season 16, effective immediately. The series will take a two week break then reassess the situation from there. “This decision was made to ensure the health and safety of the whole cast and crew and the safety of our loved ones outside of work, and it was made in accordance with Mayor Garcetti’s suggestion that we not gather in groups of more than 50,” said executive producers Krista Vernoff and Debbie Allen, as well as line producer James Williams in a prepared statement.
-The Walt Disney Company will close their California theme parks beginning March 14 through the end of the month. That includes Disneyland and Disney California Adventure. Disneyland hotels will shut down March 16 to allow existing guests to find new accommodations. Florida’s Walt Disney World Resort and the Disneyland Paris Resort will be closed on March 16, through the end of the month. The Disney Cruise Line will also suspend new departures beginning March 14, through the end of the month.
-The New York-based “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon,” “Late Night with Seth Meyers,” and “The Wendy Williams Show” are suspending production. All three programs previously announced that they would film without studio audiences. Deadline reported that Fallon’s show will tape an episode tonight, though Meyers’ will air an encore episode instead of taping a new episode.
–Discovery has cancelled its Upfront presentation schedule for May, following in the footsteps of most major networks that have already cancelled their planned upfront events.
–Universal Studios Hollywood theme park in California will close beginning Saturday, March 14, following the closure of Disney’s California theme parks. Universal said that the park anticipates reopening on March 28 as the situation unfolds.
–The Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles, originally set for April 1 through 5, has been postponed to a yet-to-be-determined date.
–The St Patrick’s Film Festival London, which was scheduled to take place in London from March 13 through 15, has been postponed. The festival is currently working on making its titles available for audiences to stream.
–The 22nd Annual Roger Ebert’s Film Festival, also known as “Ebertfest,” has been cancelled and rescheduled for April 14-17, 2021.The Chicago festival was originally slated to run April 15-18 in Champaign, Illinois.
–Walt Disney Pictures has delayed the release date for “Mulan” due to coronavirus concerns. Niki Caro’s film, which already saw the cancellation of its European red carpet over the virus, was slated for a March 27 release in the United States, with release dates globally beginning March 26. Disney has not set plans for a future release date.
–20th Century Studios has moved “New Mutants” (originally set for April 3) and Searchlight’s “Antlers” (which was set for April 17). No new release dates have been announced.
–IFC Films has pushed the release date of Hirokazu Kore-eda’s “The Truth,” originally set for March 20, to summer 2020.
–The Anthology Film Archives has suspended all of its March screenings, effective immediately. The center says it aims to postpone, not cancel, its upcoming March programs. Individuals who have bought advance tickets for March screenings can reach out to the center to exchange them for tickets for any screening taking place after the center reopens.
–The CW and Fox have cancelled their live Upfront presentations that were scheduled for May. Most other major networks have already cancelled their Upfront events.
–Rooftop Films is postponing all of its March screenings, including its free presentation of “Queen & Slim” at Industry City that was scheduled for March 19. Rooftop Films said it hopes to reschedule the screenings as soon as possible.
-The TV Academy announced that For Your Consideration events will not happen live, in front of an audience, instead opting to livestream and/or record panels for digital viewing.
-Strand Releasing is postponing the U.S. release of “The Artist’s Wife,” starring Bruce Dern and Lena Olin. The distributor said in a statement: “The film was originally scheduled to be released in New York on April 3rd at the Angelika Film Center and Landmark 57, in Los Angeles on April 10th at Laemmle’s Royal, Playhouse, and Town Centre theaters and in San Francisco on April 17th at Landmark’s Embarcadero and East Bay theaters.”
-NCAA’s March Madness tournament is canceled. The organization said in a statement: “Today, NCAA President Mark Emmert and the Board of Governors canceled the Division I men’s and women’s 2020 basketball tournaments, as well as all remaining winter and spring NCAA championships. This decision is based on the evolving COVID-19 public health threat, our ability to ensure the events do not contribute to spread of the pandemic, and the impracticality of hosting such events at any time during this academic year given ongoing decisions by other entities.”
-New York City’s Film Forum is limiting seating capacity. The theater has announced that “sarting Friday, March 13, Film Forum will limit capacity in our theaters to 50% in compliance with New York State’s COVID-19 public gathering mandate.”
–WarnerMedia and Xandr have canceled Upfront presentations for their networks, which include CNN, TBS, and TNT. The campnies said in a statement: “The health and safety of the advertising community, our employees and production partners is our absolute priority, so we will alter our plans for this year’s Upfront presentation. We have the technological and creative means to showcase our unified WarnerMedia/Xandr message through a unique video experience and will do just that on May 13.”
-Los Angeles’ City Theater Group has announced the cancellation of several productions: “To comply with the overnight directive of the California Department of Public Health and a mandate from the County of Los Angeles, we are immediately canceling all performances of The Book of Mormon, The Antipodes, and Block Party at the Ahmanson Theatre, Mark Taper Forum, and Kirk Douglas Theatre to help lessen the spread of the virus. It is imperative that we act on the advice of government officials, public health authorities, and medical professionals.”
-Per a statement from the Luxembourg City Film Festival: “Following the recommendations and restrictions annoncé by the Government Council today, the organizers of the Luxembourg City Film Festival have decided to cancel the 10th edition of the Luxembourg City Film Festival as of tomorrow morning. The film shows and events planned for Friday, March 13, Saturday, March 14 and Sunday, March 15 are therefore canceled.”
-The Sun Valley Film Festival is the second festival today to cancel their upcoming event. The festival was set to run Wednesday through Sunday. “We are actively supporting the global and local effort to combat this pandemic by cancelling this year’s Festival. The health and safety of our community and all of our participants is our top priority and we know this is the right and responsible decision,” says Sun Valley Film Festival executive Teddy Grennan in a prepared statement.
-In a prepared statement by Lisa Thomas at Film Society of Lincoln Center, “The 49th New Directors/New Films will be postponed and the 46th Chaplin Award Gala honoring Spike Lee will be rescheduled for later this fall. Additional information regarding new dates for both events will be communicated in the coming weeks.”
-The MLB announced via their official Twitter that they are delaying opening day by at least two weeks and the rest of spring training has been cancelled. “This action is being taken in the interests of safety and well-being of our players, our Clubs, and our millions of loyal fans…MLB and the Clubs have been preparing a variety of contingency plans regarding the 2020 regular season schedule. MLB will announce the effects on the schedule at an appropriate time and will remain flexible as events warrant, with the hope of resuming normal operations as soon as possible.”
-Mediapro has announced production on “Official Competition” has been suspended in Spain. The drama stars Antonio Banderas and Penelope Cruz. “It is hoped that production will be renewed as soon as it is possible to guarantee the safety of crew members,” a Mediapro statement reads.
-Fan convention WonderCon has been canceled. The even is organized by Comic-Con International and was scheduled to take place April 10–12 in Anaheim, California. The decision to cancel WonderCon was made after California Governor Gavin Newsom’s directive encouraging gatherings of 250 people or more to be postponed or canceled. Plans for 2020 Comic Con this summer remain intact.
–Broadway shows are being suspended as of 5pm ET on March 12. The decision was made as a result of N.Y. Gov. Andrew Cuomo restricting gatherings with more than 500 people. That rule applies to everything except schools, hospitals, and mass transit. Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, and the Met have also closed.
-The 2020 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony and Induction Week festivities are being postponed until later this year. The annual event was set to air live on HBO. The new date for the induction ceremony will be revealed at a later date.
–ViacomCBS has canceled its Upfront presentation in New York City and will instead put together a package that will be released on digital platforms. The company said in a statement: “We’ll miss Carnegie Hall and our agency dinners this year, but the health and safety of our clients and the ViacomCBS team comes first. Our team has been planning for this possibility for weeks, and we have devised a digital showcase to unveil all of the premium content that we’re delivering throughout the company, from CBS Television Network and our robust cable portfolio across the Entertainment & Youth and Premium brands. We won’t miss a beat in engaging with clients around our unmatched offerings and solutions.” NBC has also axed their Upfront presentations.
-Apple is putting production of “The Morning Show” Season 2 on hiatus. Apple made the decision along with the studio behind the series Media Res, which said in a statement: “In concert with our dedicated partners at Apple, we have concluded it would be prudent to take a two-week hiatus to assess the situation and ensure the safety of the incredible people who make this show.”
-The National Hockey League (NHL) is following the NBA’s plan and suspending the current sports season definitely. Games for the 2019-20 season are being put on hold starting with March 12 evening games.
-The New York International Children’s Film Festival has issued a statement saying “it will be ending its month-long Oscar-qualifying Festival ahead of the final weekend. At the advice of public health experts on COVID-19 best practices and in keeping our community’s health the utmost priority, we have made the difficult decision to cancel all events and screenings for NYICFF’s final weekend, March 14th and 15th.”
-The Miami Film Festival is being canceled in the middle of the event. This year’s festival began last Friday and was scheduled to run until Sunday, but fest director tells THR, “Under the advice of Governor Ron DeSantis, Miami Dade College is cancelling all special events including the remaining public screenings of the Miami Film festival.”
–Metropolitan Museum of Art is closing its three locations in New York City as of Friday, March 13: The flagship Met museum, the Met Breuer, and the Met Cloisters. The Met said its closing its locations “to support New York City’s effort to contain the spread of COVID-19.” Met president Daniel Weiss told The New York Times, “The Met’s priority is to protect and support our staff, volunteers, and visitors. While we don’t have any confirmed cases connected to the museum, we believe that we must do all that we can to ensure a safe and healthy environment for our community, which at this time calls for us to minimize gatherings while maintaining the cleanest environment possible.”
–Paramount Pictures is delaying the release of comedy “The Lovebirds,” starring Kumail Nanjiani and Issa Rae. The movie was scheduled to hit theaters April 3. The announcement follows the studio’s delay of “A Quiet Place Part II.” Paramount has not assigned either delayed film a new release date.
–Universal Studios is pushing the ninth “Fast and Furious” movie off its May release date and rescheduling it for almost a year later. “F9” was set to open May, 22 but will now open April 2, 2021.
-The 2020 Montclair Film Festival is being postponed. Montclair Film has developed a production plan to launch the 2020 Festival program once public health and other officials advise that the public may safely attend public events. The organization remains fully engaged in the planning of the 2020 Festival, with films, venues, the annual Film Guide, and a full schedule of special events being readied for launch. For the safety of patrons and students, all events and classes scheduled for March and April will be rescheduled for a future date once public health officials determine it is prudent to proceed.
“With the unanimous support of our Executive Committee, Board, and staff, we are postponing the 2020 Montclair Film Festival because we are committed to the health and safety of our community, and we support and are grateful to our public health partners as they work to contain and fight COVID-19,” said Montclair Film Executive Director Tom Hall. “We look forward to hosting the 2020 Montclair Film Festival at a time when we can fully engage in the celebration of cinema, community, and conversation with all of our patrons, artists, volunteers, and sponsors feeling safe and welcome.”
–Universal Television is delaying the productions of three projects: “Little America” Season 2 for Apple TV+, “Russian Doll” Season 2 for Netflix, and “Rutherford Falls” for Peacock. Deadline reports none of the television series were in the filming stage at the time of the decision and none of them had delivery dates assigned by their respective networks. The writing and casting processes for each series will continue at the moment.
-The 2020 Nickelodeon’s Kids’ Choice Awards is being postponed amid the global coronavirus outbreak. The network said in a statement, “The Kids’ Choice Awards scheduled for March 22, 2020, in Los Angeles is being postponed in consideration of the safety and well-being of every person involved with the show, which is our top priority. We will have further information about a new date in the future.
-Hollywood’s TCM Classic Film Festival has been canceled because of coronavirus concerns. The 2020 edition of the TCM festival was scheduled to take place April 16-19. Organizers of the event said in a statement, “After talking to our festival partners, as well as the actors, directors and writers who had committed to attending, we didn’t feel we could ask all of you — in good conscience — to come to Los Angeles for the festival. We assure our fans that we will begin planning the next TCM Classic Film Festival soon and will endeavor to make 2021 edition the best Festival yet.”
–Disney has cancelled the red carpet for the “Mulan” European premiere in London. The studio said there would be no red carpet “in an abundance of caution” over the spread of coronavirus. Disney said in a statement: “In an abundance of caution we are downscaling this evening’s premiere of ‘Mulan’ and will no longer have a media line or red carpet, we will however continue to host the premiere screening as a contained inside screening event.”
-Deadline reports Paramount Pictures is delaying the international rollout of “A Quiet Place Part II.” UK exhibitors have been notified at the film is moving dates. The movie was scheduled to open in the UK on March 18 before its U.S. opening on March 20.
-BBC One series “Celebrity Race Across The World” has postponed production on its upcoming season. Filming was set to begin in April. The show is produced by All3Media-backed producer Studio Lambert, which also handles “Undercover Boss.”
March 11
–CinemaCon 2020 has been canceled. Read IndieWire’s full story on the loss of CinemaCon here.
-The NBA has suspended the 2019-20 basketball season after a Utah Jazz player tested positive for the coronavirus.
“The NBA announced that a player on the Utah Jazz has preliminarily tested positive for COVID-19. The test result was reported shortly prior to the tip-off of tonight’s game between the Jazz and Oklahoma City Thunder at Chesapeake Energy Arena. At that time, tonight’s game was canceled. The affected player was not in the arena,” the league said in a statement. “The NBA is suspending game play following the conclusion of tonight’s schedule of games until further notice. The NBA will use this hiatus to determine next steps for moving forward in regard to the coronavirus pandemic.”
The league’s decision will go into effect after tonight’s games, according to the Los Angeles Times. The publication noted tonight’s Oklahoma City game between the Thunder and Jazz was cancelled seconds before tipoff. CBS News reported that Jazz center Rudy Gobert had reportedly tested positive for the coronavirus. Medical staff reportedly rushed the court of the Jazz-Thunder game to discuss the situation with officials, and the two basketball teams exited the court shortly after. The audience was notified of the game’s cancellation around 30 minutes later. It is unclear if or when the 2019-20 NBA season will resume.
–“The Ellen DeGeneres Show” will shoot without a studio audience. The show had already wrapped filming through Friday’s episodes and the change will go into effect on Monday, March 16. “The View,” “Live With Kelly And Ryan,” and “Tamron Hall” are also filming without live audiences.
-Hulu has cancelled its “Little Fires Everywhere” premiere due to coronavirus concerns. The premiere of the series, which stars and is executive produced by Reese Witherspoon and Kerry Washington, was scheduled for March 12. Hulu notified attendees via email, according to Deadline.
–PaleyFest LA 2020 will not take place as planned this weekend. The festival, set to take place at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood on March 13-22, was set to feature screenings and interviews with castmembers from various television series including “Modern Family,” “The Mandalorian,” and “Curb Your Enthusiasm.” Dolly Parton, the cast of “Modern Family,” and Patrick Stewart were just some of the names scheduled to attend for special panels and post-screening Q&As. In a prepared statement the Paley Center for Media said, ““As you are aware, the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19) continues to remain of the utmost public concern. For several weeks now, the Paley Center, along with our venue host, The Dolby Theatre, has monitored the situation closely, staying in daily contact with local, state, and federal partners, as well as following the recommendations issued by the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) and following the guidelines of the local health department. Based on the most recent news and out of an abundance of concern, we have made the difficult decision to postpone this year’s PaleyFest. While we were looking forward to presenting another stellar lineup of PaleyFest events, the safety of our event participants, guests, and staff is the highest priority. We are exploring options to reschedule the festival and all ticket purchases will be honored for the new dates.” It is currently unknown when those new dates will be but those with tickets can email the Paley Center for refunds.
-Production on “Riverdale” has been shut down. The publication reported a team member working on the show came into contact with an individual who tested positive for the coronavirus. Warner Bros. sent out a prepared statement which reads, “We have been made aware that a team member from ‘Riverdale,’ which is produced in Vancouver, was recently in contact with a person who has tested positive for COVID-19. The team member is currently receiving medical evaluation. We are working closely with the appropriate authorities and health agencies in Vancouver to identify and contact all individuals who may have come into direct contact with our team member. The health and safety of our employees, casts and crews is always our top priority. We have and will continue to take precautions to protect everyone who works on our productions around the world. Out of an abundance of caution, production on ‘Riverdale’ is currently suspended.”
-The 2020 NAB Show is not moving forward in April. The event sent the following statement: “In the interest of addressing the health and safety concerns of our stakeholders and in consultation with partners throughout the media and entertainment industry, we have decided not to move forward with NAB Show in April. We are currently considering a number of potential alternatives to create the best possible experience for our community…We are still weighing the best potential path forward, and we ask you for your patience as we do so. We are committed to exploring all possible alternatives so that we can provide a productive setting where the industry can engage with the latest technology, hear from industry thought leaders and make the game-changing connections that drive our industry forward.”
-Staring March 16, “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert,” “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon,” “Late Night with Seth Meyers,” and “The Daily Show With Trevor Noah” will tape without live audiences. Wednesday’s episode of “Full Frontal With Samantha Bee” will tape without a studio audience and the March 15 episode of “Last Week Tonight With John Oliver” will also not feature a studio audience. Deadline reported that the decision was made jointly among the aforementioned shows, all of which are based in New York. The Los Angeles-based late-night shows are expected to proceed normally, as will the New York-based “Saturday Night Live.” TBS told Deadline that this week’s “Conan” episodes were pre-taped and host Conan O’Brien is already on a scheduled hiatus for the next two weeks.
-Production on “Survivor” Season 41 has been postponed until at least May, according to Entertainment Weekly. The disruption is also expected to delay production on Season 42, which was scheduled to begin filming on May 24.
-Twitter and YouTube have cancelled their live advertiser-focused NewFronts events and will instead host streaming events. The Wednesday announcements came several hours after the IAB recommended that future presentations should be streaming-only due to the coronavirus.
-UCLA has cancelled its 44th annual Entertainment Symposium, which was slated for March 20-21. WarnerMedia’s Bob Greenblatt was scheduled as the event’s keynote speaker and would’ve discussed his company’s upcoming HBO Max streaming service. The cancellation announcement came less than a day after UCLA cancelled in-person classes
-HBO is postponing the all-star live benefit “Night of Too Many Stars: America Unites For Autism Programs” to a later date. The event was to be hosted by Jon Stewart and presented by HBO in partnership with NEXT for AUTISM. The show was scheduled to take place Saturday, April 18 at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
-The 2020 Beverly Hills Film Festival is being postponed. The festival said in a statement: “Thorough conversations and meetings with World Health Organization (WHO) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) representatives, along with conversations with local city officials brought the executive directorial team at the Beverly Hills Film Festival to the final and difficult decision of postponement of the event. Our guests’ and local residents’ safety and wellness are our priority. Due to the fact that the Beverly Hills Film Festival will bring together thousands of attendees locally and globally, it is our ethical and moral responsibility to not participate in the possible outbreak of COVID-19. Though this is a great loss for the Beverly Hills Film Festival, we will do everything in our power to diligently serve our dear 2020 filmmaker and screenwriter official selections. We appreciate your patience and understanding as we face ongoing changes in making further decisions.” This year’s festival was supposed to run April 1-5. It is being postponed indefinitely.
-The 2020 Full Frame Documentary Film Festival has been cancelled. Per organizers: “Full Frame is a program of Duke University. In light of COVID-19, Duke has cancelled any in-person event with expected attendance of more than 50 people taking place between now and April 20. These restrictions include Full Frame 2020.” The event was scheduled to run April 2-5.
-The Electronic Entertainment Expo, more commonly referred to as E3, has been canceled. The expo is Los Angeles’ annual video game convention. Event organizer Entertainment Software Association said in a statement,“After careful consultation with our member companies regarding the health and safety of everyone in our industry…we have made the difficult decision to cancel E3 2020.” The 2020 E3 event was scheduled to take place between June 9-11.
-Series Mania has been canceled. France’s television festival, one of the biggest in Europe, falls under the government’s current ban on public events with more than 1,000 attendees. As Series Mania president Rodolphe Belmer said in a statement, “Series Mania attracts 80,000 festival attendees and 3,000 industry professionals every year. Given the French government’s ban of meetings of over 1,000 people and numerous restrictions on the travel of French and international delegates, we’ve decided to cancel the event,” Series Mania president Rodolphe Belmer announced Wednesday.”
Cancellations announced March 5-March 11
-The 2020 Seattle Jewish Film Festival will not be held on its originally scheduled dates of March 19 to April 5. Organizers are postponing SJFF for the time being and are exploring options for a summer or early fall alternative.
-Disney has halted production on “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier,” according to Deadline. The high-profile series, which stars Anthony Mackie and Sebastian Stan and marks Disney+’s first Marvel Cinematic Universe project, began brief shoots in Prague in early March, but the studio decided to shut down production and recall staff to Atlanta. The Prague government has closed schools and placed various restrictions on events and travel. The show’s Prague shoot was reportedly expected to be completed in around one week. It is unclear if the disruption will impact the series’ August release window. A source close to production confirmed Deadline’s report to IndieWire. Production on “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier” was previously halted in January during its Puerto Rico shoots due to a major earthquake.
-Avid has decided to cancel its participation in trade conferences and all global face-to-face events for the next two months, including NAB Show 2020. Avid has also cancelled its Avid Connect 2020 conference in Las Vegas that was planned for mid-April and will instead offer an online broadcast that will feature new Avid products that would’ve been shown at the aforementioned events. Avid will also plan on hosting regional Connect events in several locations worldwide when it has been convinced that public safety has been assured.
“While these were difficult decisions for Avid, and for me personally, we feel strongly that helping stop the spread and severity of the COVID-19 virus is not just the job of governments and healthcare providers, but the responsibility of every individual, organization and corporation around the globe,” Jeff Rosica, CEO and President at Avid, said in a statement. “We will take this opportunity to try new methods and experiment with different approaches to better engage with our clients, users and the community around the globe. Avid remains supportive of the NAB Show and looks forward to next year’s event.”
– HBO is canceling the New York City premiere for the documentary “After Truth: Disinformation And The Cost Of Fake News.”
-New York University is moving to remote instruction beginning Wednesday, March 11. All classes will meet remotely at their regularly scheduled times. The edict impacts the film school, which counts Spike Lee among its faculty and hosts hundreds of student projects
-Sony has pushed “Peter Rabbit 2” five months, moving the family comedy off its April 3 release date. The movie will now open in the U.S. on August 7.
–Quibi has canceled its red carpet launch scheduled for April 5 out of an “abundance of caution” for COVID-19. The massive launch, set to take place in Culver City, hadn’t announced who was set to attend but various Quibi series boast A-list names, such as Liam Hemsworth, Jennifer Lopez, and Chance the Rapper. “Supporting the health and well-being of everyone involved is our top priority,” said an unnamed Quibi spokesperson to Variety announcing the cancellation. The company had an uphill battle before this recent turn of events, with audiences wondering how the series’ model of shows broken up into segments would work. Quibi recently announced they’ll have 50 series and game shows set to go live at launch, still set for April 6. People on the fence about the service can also engage in a 90-day free trial of the service.
– “Wheel of Fortune” and “Jeopardy” have announced they will film episodes without a live studio audience indefinitely due to the virus. Both shows, which film at the Sony Studios, are scheduled to film throughout mid-April though it’s unclear if audiences will be allowed in anytime before that. The need for caution is especially important in “Jeopardy’s” case since host Alex Trebek is currently battling stage four pancreatic cancer. The network also emphasized that the makeup of their live-studio audience tends to be older and many fly in from unknown locales, all of which can up the risk of attracting COVID-19.
–AMC Networks has canceled its upfront presentation, which was slated for March 18 in New York.
-The Environmental Film Festival in Washington, DC, is canceling all events scheduled for March 12-22. In lieu, a “virtual” festival will be launched in March to allow for select 2020 films to be viewed online. A smaller version of the EFF is planned for the fall.
– A+E Networks has canceled its Upfront live presentation scheduled for March 25. The network says it is planning to schedule “virtual” presentations to media-buying agencies and clients over the course of the week of March 23.
-The Cinequest Film & Creativity Festival, currently under way in San Jose, CA, has rescheduled its second week to August 16 through 30. Events slated for Monday, March 9 through Sunday, March 15 will no longer take place.
-The American Film Institute has postponed its 48th annual AFI Life Achievement Award Tribute to Julie Andrews. The event was originally slated for April 25 and will be rescheduled for a date in early summer. “AFI’s decision to postpone the event is simply in response to the rapidly evolving nature of current events and our promise to ensure the well-being of the artists and audience that gather each year to celebrate America’s art form,” said AFI CEO and President, Bob Gazzale. “This move will allow our full attention to focus on the many gifts that Julie Andrews has given the world.”
– SXSW 2020 has been canceled, Austin city officials announced March 6. The decision by the city came as an increasing number of participants, including Netflix and Amazon Studios, pulled out of the annual gathering amid growing concerns over the worldwide coronavirus outbreak. SXSW, with its parallel film, music, interactive, and education festivals/conferences, was set to begin next week, runningMarch 13-22. It marks the first time in the event’s 34-year history that it’s been called off
– Director Michael Showalter and stars Kumail Nanjiani and Issa Rae will not attend the SXSW Film Festival to promote their romantic comedy “The Lovebirds.” The movie will still hold its world premiere Saturday, March 14 at the Paramount Theatre.
– A24 confirms with IndieWire that “Boys State” will not be screening at the upcoming SXSW Film Festival. The Sundance documentary is being co-distributed by A24 and Apple, the latter of which pulled all of its screenings and events from SXSW earlier this week.
– The Bentonville Film Festival is being postponed until late summer because of the coronavirus. The 2020 festival was scheduled to run April 29-May 2, but it will now take place August 5-8. Said festival co-founder Geena Davis in a statement, “This decision comes after careful consideration and consultation with our partners. Our number one concern is the safety of our content creators and our community of attendees. We are grateful for the support and recommendations we’ve received and look forward to welcoming everyone to the 6th edition of BFF this August.”
– Apple, Netflix, and Amazon have pulled out of 2020 SXSW. The event remains on schedule to launch this month.
– MipTV, the international television conference and market held each spring in Cannes, has canceled its 2020 edition because of coronavirus fears. This year’s event was scheduled to take place March 30-April 2. All events scheduled for MipTV 2020 have been canceled, including Mip Formats, Mip Doc, and Canneseries. The next MipTV will not happen until April 2021, but Canneseries is being moved to take place in October alongside Mipcom.
– MGM, Universal, and Bond producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli have pushed back the release of “No Time to Die” until November 12 in the U.K. and November 25 in the U.S. The movie was originally scheduled to open April 8. Prior to the film’s release delay, Universal had canceled the film’s China premiere.
– Paramount has put the China release of its family blockbuster “Sonic the Hedgehog” on hold in China indefinitely because of the coronavirus. Other film releases that have been delayed or canceled in China include Universal’s “1917,” Searchlight’s “Jojo Rabbit,” and Universal’s “Dolittle.”
– Paramount Pictures shut down production February 26 on the next “Mission: Impossible” movie, which was filming in Venice, Italy at the time. The crew had been planning a three-week shoot in Venice. A Paramount spokesperson issued the following statement: “Out of an abundance of caution for the safety and well-being of our cast and crew, and efforts of the local Venetian government to halt public gatherings in response to the threat of coronavirus, we are altering the production plan for our three-week shoot in Venice, the scheduled first leg of an extensive production for ‘Mission: Impossible 7.’ During this hiatus we want to be mindful of the concerns of the crew and are allowing them to return home until production starts. We will continue to monitor this situation, and work alongside health and government officials as it evolves.”
– Production on Season 33 of CBS’ “The Amazing Race” has been put on hold indefinitely because of the coronavirus. Only three episodes of the season had been filmed by the time the series went on hold. CBS said in a statement: “Due to increased concerns and uncertainty regarding the coronavirus around the world, CBS and the producers of ‘The Amazing Race’ have taken the precautionary measure of temporarily suspending production on the 33rd season of the series. All contestants and production staff are in the process of returning home.”
– Filmmaker Jia Zhangke exclusively told IndieWire he was delaying the production of his next movie indefinitely. The project was set to begin filming in April. “We still can’t really do all the pre-production necessary for us to have this happen in April,” Jia said. The filmmaker described the project as focused on “young people in China and the here-and-now” with a story set in the spring and summer, which meant that they would not be able to shoot until next year at the earliest. He added, “Maybe we’ll write a new script.”
Hong Kong director Wong Kar-wai
AP/REX/Shutterstock
– Wong Kar-wai has put production of his next feature, “Blossoms,” on hold because of the coronavirus. “Blossoms” was going to be filmed on location in Shanghai where the story is set. The feature film is based on Jin Yucheng’s 2013 novel and follows the lives of three Shanghai residents from the end of China’s Cultural Revolution in the 1960s through their life in America in the 1990s. The director has teased “Blossoms” will be a spiritual sequel to “In the Mood for Love,” similar to “2049.”
– The 2020 Thessaloniki Documentary Festival in Greece has been postponed. The 2020 festival was set to begin March 5 in Greece and run through March 15. Organizers are hopeful the event can be rescheduled and are eying a potential new date sometime in late May or early June.
– The inaugural Red Sea Festival in Saudi Arabia has been postponed. The event was set to kick off March 12 in Jeddah. “To all cineastes, it’s with feelings of deep sadness that we have had to take this tough decision,” the fest posted on its official Twitter account. “The spread of coronavirus is a battle we all must face around the globe, and it’s with no hesitation that we are respecting the measures needed to meet the current health emergency.” The festival is planning to add new dates “as soon as feasible.”
– The sixth edition of Qumra has been canceled by the Doha Film Institute (DFI). The talent incubator event was scheduled to run March 20-25 with appearances by Claire Denis and James Gray. The DFI said in a statement: “Although this is an extremely important event for our community and participants, the wellbeing of the residents and visitors to Qatar remains our first priority. Due to current global concern regarding the COVID-19 outbreak, with an awareness of our responsibility towards the health and safety of our valued guests and partners and in an effort to reduce travel during this time, the decision has been made to cancel the 2020 edition of Qumra and its related activities.”
– Unifrance delegates will not attend the Rendez-Vous With French Cinema in New York City because of health concerns. Unifrance and European Film Promotion will similarly not be attending the Miami Film Market in March.
– Disney canceled its two-day European press launch for Disney+ and will instead promote the new streaming platform online.
– “The Bachelorette” producers have canceled the upcoming season’s trip to Italy due to coronavirus concerns. Production will have to come up with a different destination for the season’s travel episodes.
The Coronavirus outbreak is disrupting entertainment events in Hollywood and around the world, from the theatrical releases of major studio tentpoles to the launch of film festivals and TV conferences. IndieWire will continue to update this page with the latest breaking news regarding production delays, festival cancellations, release date changes, and more entertainment disruptions caused by the coronavirus. The most recent updates will be posted at the top of the running list below.
March 13
– Marvel Studios’ ‘Shang-Chi’ temporarily shuts down production, except for second-unit shoots, in Australia where the movie has been filming since February. According to Variety, its director, “Short Term 12” and “Just Mercy” helmer Destin Daniel Cretton has self-isolated and awaits COVID-19 test results, though he has not been experiencing symptoms. It is unclear if the production suspension will jeopardize the film’s scheduled February 2021 release.
March 12
–Production on Netflix’s “Grace and Frankie” has been suspended. Deadline reported that no return date for the Jane Fonda-led series has been set.
-The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is temporarily closing its museum, MoMA PS1, and the MoMA Design Stores in New York City, starting March 13. The locations will be closed through March 30.
–ABC’s “Grey’s Anatomy” has shut down production of season 16, effective immediately. The series will take a two week break then reassess the situation from there. “This decision was made to ensure the health and safety of the whole cast and crew and the safety of our loved ones outside of work, and it was made in accordance with Mayor Garcetti’s suggestion that we not gather in groups of more than 50,” said executive producers Krista Vernoff and Debbie Allen, as well as line producer James Williams in a prepared statement.
-The Walt Disney Company will close their California theme parks beginning March 14 through the end of the month. That includes Disneyland and Disney California Adventure. Disneyland hotels will shut down March 16 to allow existing guests to find new accommodations. Florida’s Walt Disney World Resort and the Disneyland Paris Resort will be closed on March 16, through the end of the month. The Disney Cruise Line will also suspend new departures beginning March 14, through the end of the month.
-The New York-based “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon,” “Late Night with Seth Meyers,” and “The Wendy Williams Show” are suspending production. All three programs previously announced that they would film without studio audiences. Deadline reported that Fallon’s show will tape an episode tonight, though Meyers’ will air an encore episode instead of taping a new episode.
–Discovery has cancelled its Upfront presentation schedule for May, following in the footsteps of most major networks that have already cancelled their planned upfront events.
–Universal Studios Hollywood theme park in California will close beginning Saturday, March 14, following the closure of Disney’s California theme parks. Universal said that the park anticipates reopening on March 28 as the situation unfolds.
–The Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles, originally set for April 1 through 5, has been postponed to a yet-to-be-determined date.
–The St Patrick’s Film Festival London, which was scheduled to take place in London from March 13 through 15, has been postponed. The festival is currently working on making its titles available for audiences to stream.
–The 22nd Annual Roger Ebert’s Film Festival, also known as “Ebertfest,” has been cancelled and rescheduled for April 14-17, 2021.The Chicago festival was originally slated to run April 15-18 in Champaign, Illinois.
–Walt Disney Pictures has delayed the release date for “Mulan” due to coronavirus concerns. Niki Caro’s film, which already saw the cancellation of its European red carpet over the virus, was slated for a March 27 release in the United States, with release dates globally beginning March 26. Disney has not set plans for a future release date.
–20th Century Studios has moved “New Mutants” (originally set for April 3) and Searchlight’s “Antlers” (which was set for April 17). No new release dates have been announced.
–IFC Films has pushed the release date of Hirokazu Kore-eda’s “The Truth,” originally set for March 20, to summer 2020.
–The Anthology Film Archives has suspended all of its March screenings, effective immediately. The center says it aims to postpone, not cancel, its upcoming March programs. Individuals who have bought advance tickets for March screenings can reach out to the center to exchange them for tickets for any screening taking place after the center reopens.
–The CW and Fox have cancelled their live Upfront presentations that were scheduled for May. Most other major networks have already cancelled their Upfront events.
–Rooftop Films is postponing all of its March screenings, including its free presentation of “Queen & Slim” at Industry City that was scheduled for March 19. Rooftop Films said it hopes to reschedule the screenings as soon as possible.
-The TV Academy announced that For Your Consideration events will not happen live, in front of an audience, instead opting to livestream and/or record panels for digital viewing.
-Strand Releasing is postponing the U.S. release of “The Artist’s Wife,” starring Bruce Dern and Lena Olin. The distributor said in a statement: “The film was originally scheduled to be released in New York on April 3rd at the Angelika Film Center and Landmark 57, in Los Angeles on April 10th at Laemmle’s Royal, Playhouse, and Town Centre theaters and in San Francisco on April 17th at Landmark’s Embarcadero and East Bay theaters.”
-NCAA’s March Madness tournament is canceled. The organization said in a statement: “Today, NCAA President Mark Emmert and the Board of Governors canceled the Division I men’s and women’s 2020 basketball tournaments, as well as all remaining winter and spring NCAA championships. This decision is based on the evolving COVID-19 public health threat, our ability to ensure the events do not contribute to spread of the pandemic, and the impracticality of hosting such events at any time during this academic year given ongoing decisions by other entities.”
-New York City’s Film Forum is limiting seating capacity. The theater has announced that “sarting Friday, March 13, Film Forum will limit capacity in our theaters to 50% in compliance with New York State’s COVID-19 public gathering mandate.”
–WarnerMedia and Xandr have canceled Upfront presentations for their networks, which include CNN, TBS, and TNT. The campnies said in a statement: “The health and safety of the advertising community, our employees and production partners is our absolute priority, so we will alter our plans for this year’s Upfront presentation. We have the technological and creative means to showcase our unified WarnerMedia/Xandr message through a unique video experience and will do just that on May 13.”
-Los Angeles’ City Theater Group has announced the cancellation of several productions: “To comply with the overnight directive of the California Department of Public Health and a mandate from the County of Los Angeles, we are immediately canceling all performances of The Book of Mormon, The Antipodes, and Block Party at the Ahmanson Theatre, Mark Taper Forum, and Kirk Douglas Theatre to help lessen the spread of the virus. It is imperative that we act on the advice of government officials, public health authorities, and medical professionals.”
-Per a statement from the Luxembourg City Film Festival: “Following the recommendations and restrictions annoncé by the Government Council today, the organizers of the Luxembourg City Film Festival have decided to cancel the 10th edition of the Luxembourg City Film Festival as of tomorrow morning. The film shows and events planned for Friday, March 13, Saturday, March 14 and Sunday, March 15 are therefore canceled.”
-The Sun Valley Film Festival is the second festival today to cancel their upcoming event. The festival was set to run Wednesday through Sunday. “We are actively supporting the global and local effort to combat this pandemic by cancelling this year’s Festival. The health and safety of our community and all of our participants is our top priority and we know this is the right and responsible decision,” says Sun Valley Film Festival executive Teddy Grennan in a prepared statement.
-In a prepared statement by Lisa Thomas at Film Society of Lincoln Center, “The 49th New Directors/New Films will be postponed and the 46th Chaplin Award Gala honoring Spike Lee will be rescheduled for later this fall. Additional information regarding new dates for both events will be communicated in the coming weeks.”
-The MLB announced via their official Twitter that they are delaying opening day by at least two weeks and the rest of spring training has been cancelled. “This action is being taken in the interests of safety and well-being of our players, our Clubs, and our millions of loyal fans…MLB and the Clubs have been preparing a variety of contingency plans regarding the 2020 regular season schedule. MLB will announce the effects on the schedule at an appropriate time and will remain flexible as events warrant, with the hope of resuming normal operations as soon as possible.”
-Mediapro has announced production on “Official Competition” has been suspended in Spain. The drama stars Antonio Banderas and Penelope Cruz. “It is hoped that production will be renewed as soon as it is possible to guarantee the safety of crew members,” a Mediapro statement reads.
-Fan convention WonderCon has been canceled. The even is organized by Comic-Con International and was scheduled to take place April 10–12 in Anaheim, California. The decision to cancel WonderCon was made after California Governor Gavin Newsom’s directive encouraging gatherings of 250 people or more to be postponed or canceled. Plans for 2020 Comic Con this summer remain intact.
–Broadway shows are being suspended as of 5pm ET on March 12. The decision was made as a result of N.Y. Gov. Andrew Cuomo restricting gatherings with more than 500 people. That rule applies to everything except schools, hospitals, and mass transit. Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, and the Met have also closed.
-The 2020 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony and Induction Week festivities are being postponed until later this year. The annual event was set to air live on HBO. The new date for the induction ceremony will be revealed at a later date.
–ViacomCBS has canceled its Upfront presentation in New York City and will instead put together a package that will be released on digital platforms. The company said in a statement: “We’ll miss Carnegie Hall and our agency dinners this year, but the health and safety of our clients and the ViacomCBS team comes first. Our team has been planning for this possibility for weeks, and we have devised a digital showcase to unveil all of the premium content that we’re delivering throughout the company, from CBS Television Network and our robust cable portfolio across the Entertainment & Youth and Premium brands. We won’t miss a beat in engaging with clients around our unmatched offerings and solutions.” NBC has also axed their Upfront presentations.
-Apple is putting production of “The Morning Show” Season 2 on hiatus. Apple made the decision along with the studio behind the series Media Res, which said in a statement: “In concert with our dedicated partners at Apple, we have concluded it would be prudent to take a two-week hiatus to assess the situation and ensure the safety of the incredible people who make this show.”
-The National Hockey League (NHL) is following the NBA’s plan and suspending the current sports season definitely. Games for the 2019-20 season are being put on hold starting with March 12 evening games.
-The New York International Children’s Film Festival has issued a statement saying “it will be ending its month-long Oscar-qualifying Festival ahead of the final weekend. At the advice of public health experts on COVID-19 best practices and in keeping our community’s health the utmost priority, we have made the difficult decision to cancel all events and screenings for NYICFF’s final weekend, March 14th and 15th.”
-The Miami Film Festival is being canceled in the middle of the event. This year’s festival began last Friday and was scheduled to run until Sunday, but fest director tells THR, “Under the advice of Governor Ron DeSantis, Miami Dade College is cancelling all special events including the remaining public screenings of the Miami Film festival.”
–Metropolitan Museum of Art is closing its three locations in New York City as of Friday, March 13: The flagship Met museum, the Met Breuer, and the Met Cloisters. The Met said its closing its locations “to support New York City’s effort to contain the spread of COVID-19.” Met president Daniel Weiss told The New York Times, “The Met’s priority is to protect and support our staff, volunteers, and visitors. While we don’t have any confirmed cases connected to the museum, we believe that we must do all that we can to ensure a safe and healthy environment for our community, which at this time calls for us to minimize gatherings while maintaining the cleanest environment possible.”
–Paramount Pictures is delaying the release of comedy “The Lovebirds,” starring Kumail Nanjiani and Issa Rae. The movie was scheduled to hit theaters April 3. The announcement follows the studio’s delay of “A Quiet Place Part II.” Paramount has not assigned either delayed film a new release date.
–Universal Studios is pushing the ninth “Fast and Furious” movie off its May release date and rescheduling it for almost a year later. “F9” was set to open May, 22 but will now open April 2, 2021.
-The 2020 Montclair Film Festival is being postponed. Montclair Film has developed a production plan to launch the 2020 Festival program once public health and other officials advise that the public may safely attend public events. The organization remains fully engaged in the planning of the 2020 Festival, with films, venues, the annual Film Guide, and a full schedule of special events being readied for launch. For the safety of patrons and students, all events and classes scheduled for March and April will be rescheduled for a future date once public health officials determine it is prudent to proceed.
“With the unanimous support of our Executive Committee, Board, and staff, we are postponing the 2020 Montclair Film Festival because we are committed to the health and safety of our community, and we support and are grateful to our public health partners as they work to contain and fight COVID-19,” said Montclair Film Executive Director Tom Hall. “We look forward to hosting the 2020 Montclair Film Festival at a time when we can fully engage in the celebration of cinema, community, and conversation with all of our patrons, artists, volunteers, and sponsors feeling safe and welcome.”
–Universal Television is delaying the productions of three projects: “Little America” Season 2 for Apple TV+, “Russian Doll” Season 2 for Netflix, and “Rutherford Falls” for Peacock. Deadline reports none of the television series were in the filming stage at the time of the decision and none of them had delivery dates assigned by their respective networks. The writing and casting processes for each series will continue at the moment.
-The 2020 Nickelodeon’s Kids’ Choice Awards is being postponed amid the global coronavirus outbreak. The network said in a statement, “The Kids’ Choice Awards scheduled for March 22, 2020, in Los Angeles is being postponed in consideration of the safety and well-being of every person involved with the show, which is our top priority. We will have further information about a new date in the future.
-Hollywood’s TCM Classic Film Festival has been canceled because of coronavirus concerns. The 2020 edition of the TCM festival was scheduled to take place April 16-19. Organizers of the event said in a statement, “After talking to our festival partners, as well as the actors, directors and writers who had committed to attending, we didn’t feel we could ask all of you — in good conscience — to come to Los Angeles for the festival. We assure our fans that we will begin planning the next TCM Classic Film Festival soon and will endeavor to make 2021 edition the best Festival yet.”
–Disney has cancelled the red carpet for the “Mulan” European premiere in London. The studio said there would be no red carpet “in an abundance of caution” over the spread of coronavirus. Disney said in a statement: “In an abundance of caution we are downscaling this evening’s premiere of ‘Mulan’ and will no longer have a media line or red carpet, we will however continue to host the premiere screening as a contained inside screening event.”
-Deadline reports Paramount Pictures is delaying the international rollout of “A Quiet Place Part II.” UK exhibitors have been notified at the film is moving dates. The movie was scheduled to open in the UK on March 18 before its U.S. opening on March 20.
-BBC One series “Celebrity Race Across The World” has postponed production on its upcoming season. Filming was set to begin in April. The show is produced by All3Media-backed producer Studio Lambert, which also handles “Undercover Boss.”
March 11
–CinemaCon 2020 has been canceled. Read IndieWire’s full story on the loss of CinemaCon here.
-The NBA has suspended the 2019-20 basketball season after a Utah Jazz player tested positive for the coronavirus.
“The NBA announced that a player on the Utah Jazz has preliminarily tested positive for COVID-19. The test result was reported shortly prior to the tip-off of tonight’s game between the Jazz and Oklahoma City Thunder at Chesapeake Energy Arena. At that time, tonight’s game was canceled. The affected player was not in the arena,” the league said in a statement. “The NBA is suspending game play following the conclusion of tonight’s schedule of games until further notice. The NBA will use this hiatus to determine next steps for moving forward in regard to the coronavirus pandemic.”
The league’s decision will go into effect after tonight’s games, according to the Los Angeles Times. The publication noted tonight’s Oklahoma City game between the Thunder and Jazz was cancelled seconds before tipoff. CBS News reported that Jazz center Rudy Gobert had reportedly tested positive for the coronavirus. Medical staff reportedly rushed the court of the Jazz-Thunder game to discuss the situation with officials, and the two basketball teams exited the court shortly after. The audience was notified of the game’s cancellation around 30 minutes later. It is unclear if or when the 2019-20 NBA season will resume.
–“The Ellen DeGeneres Show” will shoot without a studio audience. The show had already wrapped filming through Friday’s episodes and the change will go into effect on Monday, March 16. “The View,” “Live With Kelly And Ryan,” and “Tamron Hall” are also filming without live audiences.
-Hulu has cancelled its “Little Fires Everywhere” premiere due to coronavirus concerns. The premiere of the series, which stars and is executive produced by Reese Witherspoon and Kerry Washington, was scheduled for March 12. Hulu notified attendees via email, according to Deadline.
–PaleyFest LA 2020 will not take place as planned this weekend. The festival, set to take place at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood on March 13-22, was set to feature screenings and interviews with castmembers from various television series including “Modern Family,” “The Mandalorian,” and “Curb Your Enthusiasm.” Dolly Parton, the cast of “Modern Family,” and Patrick Stewart were just some of the names scheduled to attend for special panels and post-screening Q&As. In a prepared statement the Paley Center for Media said, ““As you are aware, the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19) continues to remain of the utmost public concern. For several weeks now, the Paley Center, along with our venue host, The Dolby Theatre, has monitored the situation closely, staying in daily contact with local, state, and federal partners, as well as following the recommendations issued by the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) and following the guidelines of the local health department. Based on the most recent news and out of an abundance of concern, we have made the difficult decision to postpone this year’s PaleyFest. While we were looking forward to presenting another stellar lineup of PaleyFest events, the safety of our event participants, guests, and staff is the highest priority. We are exploring options to reschedule the festival and all ticket purchases will be honored for the new dates.” It is currently unknown when those new dates will be but those with tickets can email the Paley Center for refunds.
-Production on “Riverdale” has been shut down. The publication reported a team member working on the show came into contact with an individual who tested positive for the coronavirus. Warner Bros. sent out a prepared statement which reads, “We have been made aware that a team member from ‘Riverdale,’ which is produced in Vancouver, was recently in contact with a person who has tested positive for COVID-19. The team member is currently receiving medical evaluation. We are working closely with the appropriate authorities and health agencies in Vancouver to identify and contact all individuals who may have come into direct contact with our team member. The health and safety of our employees, casts and crews is always our top priority. We have and will continue to take precautions to protect everyone who works on our productions around the world. Out of an abundance of caution, production on ‘Riverdale’ is currently suspended.”
-The 2020 NAB Show is not moving forward in April. The event sent the following statement: “In the interest of addressing the health and safety concerns of our stakeholders and in consultation with partners throughout the media and entertainment industry, we have decided not to move forward with NAB Show in April. We are currently considering a number of potential alternatives to create the best possible experience for our community…We are still weighing the best potential path forward, and we ask you for your patience as we do so. We are committed to exploring all possible alternatives so that we can provide a productive setting where the industry can engage with the latest technology, hear from industry thought leaders and make the game-changing connections that drive our industry forward.”
-Staring March 16, “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert,” “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon,” “Late Night with Seth Meyers,” and “The Daily Show With Trevor Noah” will tape without live audiences. Wednesday’s episode of “Full Frontal With Samantha Bee” will tape without a studio audience and the March 15 episode of “Last Week Tonight With John Oliver” will also not feature a studio audience. Deadline reported that the decision was made jointly among the aforementioned shows, all of which are based in New York. The Los Angeles-based late-night shows are expected to proceed normally, as will the New York-based “Saturday Night Live.” TBS told Deadline that this week’s “Conan” episodes were pre-taped and host Conan O’Brien is already on a scheduled hiatus for the next two weeks.
-Production on “Survivor” Season 41 has been postponed until at least May, according to Entertainment Weekly. The disruption is also expected to delay production on Season 42, which was scheduled to begin filming on May 24.
-Twitter and YouTube have cancelled their live advertiser-focused NewFronts events and will instead host streaming events. The Wednesday announcements came several hours after the IAB recommended that future presentations should be streaming-only due to the coronavirus.
-UCLA has cancelled its 44th annual Entertainment Symposium, which was slated for March 20-21. WarnerMedia’s Bob Greenblatt was scheduled as the event’s keynote speaker and would’ve discussed his company’s upcoming HBO Max streaming service. The cancellation announcement came less than a day after UCLA cancelled in-person classes
-HBO is postponing the all-star live benefit “Night of Too Many Stars: America Unites For Autism Programs” to a later date. The event was to be hosted by Jon Stewart and presented by HBO in partnership with NEXT for AUTISM. The show was scheduled to take place Saturday, April 18 at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
-The 2020 Beverly Hills Film Festival is being postponed. The festival said in a statement: “Thorough conversations and meetings with World Health Organization (WHO) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) representatives, along with conversations with local city officials brought the executive directorial team at the Beverly Hills Film Festival to the final and difficult decision of postponement of the event. Our guests’ and local residents’ safety and wellness are our priority. Due to the fact that the Beverly Hills Film Festival will bring together thousands of attendees locally and globally, it is our ethical and moral responsibility to not participate in the possible outbreak of COVID-19. Though this is a great loss for the Beverly Hills Film Festival, we will do everything in our power to diligently serve our dear 2020 filmmaker and screenwriter official selections. We appreciate your patience and understanding as we face ongoing changes in making further decisions.” This year’s festival was supposed to run April 1-5. It is being postponed indefinitely.
-The 2020 Full Frame Documentary Film Festival has been cancelled. Per organizers: “Full Frame is a program of Duke University. In light of COVID-19, Duke has cancelled any in-person event with expected attendance of more than 50 people taking place between now and April 20. These restrictions include Full Frame 2020.” The event was scheduled to run April 2-5.
-The Electronic Entertainment Expo, more commonly referred to as E3, has been canceled. The expo is Los Angeles’ annual video game convention. Event organizer Entertainment Software Association said in a statement,“After careful consultation with our member companies regarding the health and safety of everyone in our industry…we have made the difficult decision to cancel E3 2020.” The 2020 E3 event was scheduled to take place between June 9-11.
-Series Mania has been canceled. France’s television festival, one of the biggest in Europe, falls under the government’s current ban on public events with more than 1,000 attendees. As Series Mania president Rodolphe Belmer said in a statement, “Series Mania attracts 80,000 festival attendees and 3,000 industry professionals every year. Given the French government’s ban of meetings of over 1,000 people and numerous restrictions on the travel of French and international delegates, we’ve decided to cancel the event,” Series Mania president Rodolphe Belmer announced Wednesday.”
Cancellations announced March 5-March 11
-The 2020 Seattle Jewish Film Festival will not be held on its originally scheduled dates of March 19 to April 5. Organizers are postponing SJFF for the time being and are exploring options for a summer or early fall alternative.
-Disney has halted production on “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier,” according to Deadline. The high-profile series, which stars Anthony Mackie and Sebastian Stan and marks Disney+’s first Marvel Cinematic Universe project, began brief shoots in Prague in early March, but the studio decided to shut down production and recall staff to Atlanta. The Prague government has closed schools and placed various restrictions on events and travel. The show’s Prague shoot was reportedly expected to be completed in around one week. It is unclear if the disruption will impact the series’ August release window. A source close to production confirmed Deadline’s report to IndieWire. Production on “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier” was previously halted in January during its Puerto Rico shoots due to a major earthquake.
-Avid has decided to cancel its participation in trade conferences and all global face-to-face events for the next two months, including NAB Show 2020. Avid has also cancelled its Avid Connect 2020 conference in Las Vegas that was planned for mid-April and will instead offer an online broadcast that will feature new Avid products that would’ve been shown at the aforementioned events. Avid will also plan on hosting regional Connect events in several locations worldwide when it has been convinced that public safety has been assured.
“While these were difficult decisions for Avid, and for me personally, we feel strongly that helping stop the spread and severity of the COVID-19 virus is not just the job of governments and healthcare providers, but the responsibility of every individual, organization and corporation around the globe,” Jeff Rosica, CEO and President at Avid, said in a statement. “We will take this opportunity to try new methods and experiment with different approaches to better engage with our clients, users and the community around the globe. Avid remains supportive of the NAB Show and looks forward to next year’s event.”
– HBO is canceling the New York City premiere for the documentary “After Truth: Disinformation And The Cost Of Fake News.”
-New York University is moving to remote instruction beginning Wednesday, March 11. All classes will meet remotely at their regularly scheduled times. The edict impacts the film school, which counts Spike Lee among its faculty and hosts hundreds of student projects
-Sony has pushed “Peter Rabbit 2” five months, moving the family comedy off its April 3 release date. The movie will now open in the U.S. on August 7.
–Quibi has canceled its red carpet launch scheduled for April 5 out of an “abundance of caution” for COVID-19. The massive launch, set to take place in Culver City, hadn’t announced who was set to attend but various Quibi series boast A-list names, such as Liam Hemsworth, Jennifer Lopez, and Chance the Rapper. “Supporting the health and well-being of everyone involved is our top priority,” said an unnamed Quibi spokesperson to Variety announcing the cancellation. The company had an uphill battle before this recent turn of events, with audiences wondering how the series’ model of shows broken up into segments would work. Quibi recently announced they’ll have 50 series and game shows set to go live at launch, still set for April 6. People on the fence about the service can also engage in a 90-day free trial of the service.
– “Wheel of Fortune” and “Jeopardy” have announced they will film episodes without a live studio audience indefinitely due to the virus. Both shows, which film at the Sony Studios, are scheduled to film throughout mid-April though it’s unclear if audiences will be allowed in anytime before that. The need for caution is especially important in “Jeopardy’s” case since host Alex Trebek is currently battling stage four pancreatic cancer. The network also emphasized that the makeup of their live-studio audience tends to be older and many fly in from unknown locales, all of which can up the risk of attracting COVID-19.
–AMC Networks has canceled its upfront presentation, which was slated for March 18 in New York.
-The Environmental Film Festival in Washington, DC, is canceling all events scheduled for March 12-22. In lieu, a “virtual” festival will be launched in March to allow for select 2020 films to be viewed online. A smaller version of the EFF is planned for the fall.
– A+E Networks has canceled its Upfront live presentation scheduled for March 25. The network says it is planning to schedule “virtual” presentations to media-buying agencies and clients over the course of the week of March 23.
-The Cinequest Film & Creativity Festival, currently under way in San Jose, CA, has rescheduled its second week to August 16 through 30. Events slated for Monday, March 9 through Sunday, March 15 will no longer take place.
-The American Film Institute has postponed its 48th annual AFI Life Achievement Award Tribute to Julie Andrews. The event was originally slated for April 25 and will be rescheduled for a date in early summer. “AFI’s decision to postpone the event is simply in response to the rapidly evolving nature of current events and our promise to ensure the well-being of the artists and audience that gather each year to celebrate America’s art form,” said AFI CEO and President, Bob Gazzale. “This move will allow our full attention to focus on the many gifts that Julie Andrews has given the world.”
– SXSW 2020 has been canceled, Austin city officials announced March 6. The decision by the city came as an increasing number of participants, including Netflix and Amazon Studios, pulled out of the annual gathering amid growing concerns over the worldwide coronavirus outbreak. SXSW, with its parallel film, music, interactive, and education festivals/conferences, was set to begin next week, runningMarch 13-22. It marks the first time in the event’s 34-year history that it’s been called off
– Director Michael Showalter and stars Kumail Nanjiani and Issa Rae will not attend the SXSW Film Festival to promote their romantic comedy “The Lovebirds.” The movie will still hold its world premiere Saturday, March 14 at the Paramount Theatre.
– A24 confirms with IndieWire that “Boys State” will not be screening at the upcoming SXSW Film Festival. The Sundance documentary is being co-distributed by A24 and Apple, the latter of which pulled all of its screenings and events from SXSW earlier this week.
– The Bentonville Film Festival is being postponed until late summer because of the coronavirus. The 2020 festival was scheduled to run April 29-May 2, but it will now take place August 5-8. Said festival co-founder Geena Davis in a statement, “This decision comes after careful consideration and consultation with our partners. Our number one concern is the safety of our content creators and our community of attendees. We are grateful for the support and recommendations we’ve received and look forward to welcoming everyone to the 6th edition of BFF this August.”
– Apple, Netflix, and Amazon have pulled out of 2020 SXSW. The event remains on schedule to launch this month.
– MipTV, the international television conference and market held each spring in Cannes, has canceled its 2020 edition because of coronavirus fears. This year’s event was scheduled to take place March 30-April 2. All events scheduled for MipTV 2020 have been canceled, including Mip Formats, Mip Doc, and Canneseries. The next MipTV will not happen until April 2021, but Canneseries is being moved to take place in October alongside Mipcom.
– MGM, Universal, and Bond producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli have pushed back the release of “No Time to Die” until November 12 in the U.K. and November 25 in the U.S. The movie was originally scheduled to open April 8. Prior to the film’s release delay, Universal had canceled the film’s China premiere.
– Paramount has put the China release of its family blockbuster “Sonic the Hedgehog” on hold in China indefinitely because of the coronavirus. Other film releases that have been delayed or canceled in China include Universal’s “1917,” Searchlight’s “Jojo Rabbit,” and Universal’s “Dolittle.”
– Paramount Pictures shut down production February 26 on the next “Mission: Impossible” movie, which was filming in Venice, Italy at the time. The crew had been planning a three-week shoot in Venice. A Paramount spokesperson issued the following statement: “Out of an abundance of caution for the safety and well-being of our cast and crew, and efforts of the local Venetian government to halt public gatherings in response to the threat of coronavirus, we are altering the production plan for our three-week shoot in Venice, the scheduled first leg of an extensive production for ‘Mission: Impossible 7.’ During this hiatus we want to be mindful of the concerns of the crew and are allowing them to return home until production starts. We will continue to monitor this situation, and work alongside health and government officials as it evolves.”
– Production on Season 33 of CBS’ “The Amazing Race” has been put on hold indefinitely because of the coronavirus. Only three episodes of the season had been filmed by the time the series went on hold. CBS said in a statement: “Due to increased concerns and uncertainty regarding the coronavirus around the world, CBS and the producers of ‘The Amazing Race’ have taken the precautionary measure of temporarily suspending production on the 33rd season of the series. All contestants and production staff are in the process of returning home.”
– Filmmaker Jia Zhangke exclusively told IndieWire he was delaying the production of his next movie indefinitely. The project was set to begin filming in April. “We still can’t really do all the pre-production necessary for us to have this happen in April,” Jia said. The filmmaker described the project as focused on “young people in China and the here-and-now” with a story set in the spring and summer, which meant that they would not be able to shoot until next year at the earliest. He added, “Maybe we’ll write a new script.”
Hong Kong director Wong Kar-wai
AP/REX/Shutterstock
– Wong Kar-wai has put production of his next feature, “Blossoms,” on hold because of the coronavirus. “Blossoms” was going to be filmed on location in Shanghai where the story is set. The feature film is based on Jin Yucheng’s 2013 novel and follows the lives of three Shanghai residents from the end of China’s Cultural Revolution in the 1960s through their life in America in the 1990s. The director has teased “Blossoms” will be a spiritual sequel to “In the Mood for Love,” similar to “2049.”
– The 2020 Thessaloniki Documentary Festival in Greece has been postponed. The 2020 festival was set to begin March 5 in Greece and run through March 15. Organizers are hopeful the event can be rescheduled and are eying a potential new date sometime in late May or early June.
– The inaugural Red Sea Festival in Saudi Arabia has been postponed. The event was set to kick off March 12 in Jeddah. “To all cineastes, it’s with feelings of deep sadness that we have had to take this tough decision,” the fest posted on its official Twitter account. “The spread of coronavirus is a battle we all must face around the globe, and it’s with no hesitation that we are respecting the measures needed to meet the current health emergency.” The festival is planning to add new dates “as soon as feasible.”
– The sixth edition of Qumra has been canceled by the Doha Film Institute (DFI). The talent incubator event was scheduled to run March 20-25 with appearances by Claire Denis and James Gray. The DFI said in a statement: “Although this is an extremely important event for our community and participants, the wellbeing of the residents and visitors to Qatar remains our first priority. Due to current global concern regarding the COVID-19 outbreak, with an awareness of our responsibility towards the health and safety of our valued guests and partners and in an effort to reduce travel during this time, the decision has been made to cancel the 2020 edition of Qumra and its related activities.”
– Unifrance delegates will not attend the Rendez-Vous With French Cinema in New York City because of health concerns. Unifrance and European Film Promotion will similarly not be attending the Miami Film Market in March.
– Disney canceled its two-day European press launch for Disney+ and will instead promote the new streaming platform online.
– “The Bachelorette” producers have canceled the upcoming season’s trip to Italy due to coronavirus concerns. Production will have to come up with a different destination for the season’s travel episodes.
