BACK IN ACTION

Jurassic World and Avatar sequels aside, which sets are going back to work — and how far had they got?

THE MATRIX 4

Lily Wachowski’s unexpected sci-fi sequel began filming (with some wild stunts spotted by locals) in February in San Francisco, and was expected to move to Berlin in mid-march. According to The Wrap, the cast signed eight-week extensions to their contract, with production aiming to resume in early July.

MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE 7

Christopher Mcquarrie’s action sequel had begun filming in February in Venice, only to be suspended at the height of Italy’s outbreak. Filming is set to resume in September, according to star Simon Pegg, who told Variety it will “begin with the outdoor stuff”, which he said “feels fairly doable”.

THE LITTLE MERMAID

Disney’s live-action reboot of the animated favourite was only a week away from cameras rolling at Pinewood Studios in the UK before the lockdown hit. The Guardian reported that filming is now finally set to start; star Halle Bailey told Entertainment Tonight she is “very excited for when we start back again”.

ELVIS

Baz Luhrmann’s biopic of the king of rock ’n’ roll began filming in Australia in January — but halted in March when its star, Tom Hanks, became one of the virus’ most famous sufferers. He and wife Rita Wilson have since recovered; in a press conference, local officials confirmed work on the film will resume “as soon as possible”.

THE BATMAN

Matt Reeves’ superhero reboot began filming in the UK in January; it is one of several blockbuster productions given the green light to resume by the British government. Robert Pattinson said in a recent interview with GQ, however, that he hasn’t used the lockdown to stay in shape: “Literally, I’m barely doing anything.”

FANTASTIC BEASTS 3

Filming was set to begin on the third film in the Harry Potter spin-off series in mid-march, but Warner Bros. halted production before cameras had started rolling. The sequel — directed by Potter stalwart David Yates — is set to restart at Hertfordshire’s Leavesden Studios in July, according to The Guardian.