Disney is hitting the breaks on production on quite a few projects coming down the pipeline amid the coronavirus pandemic– including its live-action adaptation of The Little Mermaid.
The studio’s live-action Little Mermaid, starring Halle Bailey as Ariel, was slated to begin production in London in just nine days time.
In a statement announcing the production pause, a spokesperson for Disney said the studio made the call in an effort to do what is in the best interest of the cast and crew given the current coronavirus outbreak.
“While there have been no confirmed cases of COVID-19 on our productions, after considering the current environment and the best interests of our cast and crew, we have made the decision to pause production on some of our live-action films for a short time,” said the Disney spokesperson according to The Hollywood Reporter. “We will continue to assess the situation and restart as soon as feasible.”
As the studio spokesperson alluded to in the statement, Disney’s live-action Little Mermaid isn’t the only big title that’s pausing production for the time being.
Other projects that have been delayed for the time being include Disney+’s Honey I Shrunk the Kids sequel starring Josh Gad and Rick Moranis, as well as the streamer’s Home Alone reboot.
In addition, production is also on hold on The Last Duel— director Ridley Scott’s King Charles VI period drama starring Ben Affleck, Adam Driver, and Matt Damon.
Guillermo del Toro’s remake of the 1947 drama thriller, Nightmare Alley, starring Toni Collette, Bradley Cooper, and Cate Blanchette, is also putting the breaks on production in the wake of coronavirus concerns.
Word of production freezes on multiple titles comes just one day after Disney revealed that they’ve decided to push back the theatrical releases of the live-action Mulan, New Mutants, and Antlers due to the coronavirus. The aforementioned titles were scheduled to hit theaters on March 27, April 3, and April 17, respectively.
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