Elvis movie to resume
FILMING on Baz Luhrmann’s embattled Elvis movie is tipped to resume on the Gold Coast in
October.
It is understood crew members working on the production have been told that filming is scheduled to begin in late October and continue for five months until completion.
The big-budget Warner Bros film was shut down during preproduction in March when star Tom Hanks tested positive for COVID-19 after a day of working on the Gold Coast set, and was isolated for two weeks before he returned to the US.
A spokesperson for the film could not comment on filming dates or discuss how they would handle the quarantining of international cast and crew.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said in June that she had met with Luhrmann in a bid to resume the production “as soon as possible”, announcing that an industry-safe plan was being developed by Screen Queensland and Queensland Health to ensure “the cast and crew can operate safely”.
In the US recently, Hanks said: “There are dates on the calendar that say maybe we will be making this movie in October, but all of that is a ‘maybe’ as questions about quarantine and temperatures and sterilising sound stages go on.”
The untitled Elvis movie also stars Austin Butler and Olivia Dejonge.
Luhrmann, meanwhile, remained on the Gold Coast with his family throughout the COVID-19 lockdown, but he was recently spotted in Cairns.
The news comes as stars including Nicole Kidman and Luke Evans arrived in Sydney this week to quarantine for two weeks as they prepare to film the Hulu miniseries
Nine Perfect Strangers in Byron Bay next month. To allow pre-production to proceed, police will supervise an isolated production hub at Kidman’s Southern Highlands property as the team quarantines. Kidman and her co-producers will pay all medical and security costs.