Hollywood in uncharted territory

The coronavirus forcing adjustments in the entertainment industry, too

LOS ANGELES » Coronavirus precautions were already popping up in Hollywood: “No handshakes or selfies” signs were posted outside the room where Vin Diesel was promoting his new movie. TV shows started taping without live audiences. South by Southwest, the sprawling film and music festival, was canceled outright.

That was before Wednesday night, when Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson told the world they had tested positive for coronavirus. By Thursday morning, everything had changed.

The entertainment industry went into full retreat. Productions were halted. Film releases, from “F9” to “Mulan,” were delayed. More festivals were canceled. There was not a sector of the entertainment business left untouched by the unprecedented decisions made Thursday to try to slow the spread of the virus.

The Hanks news “really marked a turning point,” said Richard Rushfield, the editor of the entertainment industry newsletter The Ankler.

“It sunk in that all production was going to have to cease,” he said.

Now everyone is trying to mitigate the damage and move forward, but there are challenges everywhere. There are crews who suddenly don’t have jobs. Some up-and-coming filmmakers now have no festival platform to debut their work and no guarantee that they’ll be accepted next year. Studios have spent big bucks on ads for movies that now won’t hit theaters for six months or more. And frustrated theater owners, already in a precarious position, are wondering if they can survive without blockbusters, or crowds.

“All my clients have been touched by this at this point in varying degrees,” said veteran publicist Michele Robertson. “We’re figuring out what are we able to do. Phoners? What’s in-person and when? Basically, I’ve been on the phone a lot, but it’s all been measured and forward thinking.”

For some, it was too late to change course. Movies like Universal’s “The Hunt,” Sony’s “Bloodshot” and the indie “Never Rarely Sometimes Always” are still opening in theaters this weekend. That’s placed stars and filmmakers in the tricky position of promoting their films while also encouraging people to be safe.

“It’s hard to encourage people to come, right, because you don’t want to be selfish in the sense of ‘I want you to come and have a good time.’ But I also don’t want to put you in a dangerous situation,” said “Bloodshot” actress Eiza González last week. “It puts you in a really difficult situation.”