The coronavirus pandemic has impacted Hollywood in a major way, affecting the filming of so many television shows, with studios shutting down production completely — like NBC’s New Amsterdam and Superstore — or suspending them indefinitely. Most recently, production on Netflix’s The Witcher has taken a hit and Season 2 has officially stopped filming. More genre shows like Amazon’s Lord of the Rings series have also halted production on their respective seasons due to coronavirus.
Filming was currently underway for The Witcher Season 2 in the U.K. However, following in the vein of its other TV cohorts, the Netflix show has shut down production. The news came after the streaming service’s overall decision last week to pause filming on series filmed in the U.S. and Canada due to coronavirus fears. According to Deadline, The Witcher’s shutdown is the first major TV series to stop filming in the U.K. because of the coronavirus pandemic. The Witcher staff were informed about the production’s hiatus in an email from Netflix. The shutdown was effective immediately, with the staff continued to be paid throughout the filming pause.
The Witcher recently announced seven new cast members, including Killing Eve’s Kim Bodnia as Vesemir, one of the oldest and most powerful witchers. Henry Cavill was happily keeping fans of the show updated via Instagram, posting photos of him and the horse who plays Roach alongside details of his horse-riding training. While filming has ceased temporarily, a source alleges that the production shutdown is currently scheduled to be two weeks for the time being.
However, The Witcher isn’t the only show being affected internationally. Amazon’s Lord of the Rings has also shut down production. The highly-anticipated series was in the throes of filming its first season in New Zealand when the country closed off its borders last week. Per THR, Lord of the Rings staff were told that “there are no clear answers to when we will resume.”
Meanwhile, Seth MacFarlane’s The Orville has also pressed pause on filming for the next three weeks. The series (per Deadline) was one of the last shows to shut down production amid coronavirus fears, but had been ruminating over the decision to stop filming for a few days before confirming that they would be following the example of previous TV production shutdowns.
Carnival Row, another of Amazon’s fantasy line-up, has also halted production on Season 2. Series star Orlando Bloom (via People) confirmed that filming was put on pause and that he was headed back to the U.S. to be quarantined. Here’s what he told fans in his Instagram story:
It’s farewell from us as we’re going home to be quarantined. We’re coming home to the States, at least I’m coming home to the States because we want to get in before the quarantine. Big love everybody, stay safe out there. Self-quarantine. It seems really crazy actually this whole corona thing, but do the right thing by you and your family and stay safe. A few weeks, we’ll beat this bad boy.
Stay tuned to CinemaBlend for updates on production shutdowns, filming, and more. While shows currently in production have shut down, networks have continued to air already completed episodes as scheduled. For more on what to watch, be sure to check out our 2020 midseason schedule for premiere dates and times.
