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Jurassic World to Resume Production in the UK, Spending $5 Million on COVID-19 Safety

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Photo Credit: Universal Studios

  • Jurassic World: Dominion” will resume production in the United Kingdom this July, with a $5 million COVID safety budget. 
  • Cast and crew will be tested before production starts, there will be daily temperature checks, and masks will be required for everyone except actors who are filming a scene.
  • The news that production on the franchise would continue was met with mixed reactions online, as many thought it was too soon for productions to safely reopen.
  • A report from several film unions, including the Directors Guild of America and Screen Actors Guild maintained that testing will be key in heading back to set. They did, however, also warn of the inherent risks.

Jurassic World to Resume Production

After filming for “Jurassic World: Dominion” came to a halt in March, it is now slated to be one of the first major studio pictures to resume filming, with a sturdy budget for coronavirus safety measures. 

“Jurassic World” is set to pick up filming again in the second week of July in the United Kingdom, according to an exclusive report from Deadline. The film was four weeks into its 20 week shoot when COVID-19 brought most productions to a quick stop. Universal has spared no expense in resuming production for the Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard led film, with Deadline reporting that $5 million will be devoted to health and safety measures.

Thousands of coronavirus tests will be conducted throughout production. Universal has also hired a private medical company called Your Doctor to conduct the testing. Everyone will take one before filming, at various times throughout, and antibody tests will also be administered. Actors and crew like Pratt and Howard, who are currently at home in the United States, will fly to the U.K. and enter isolation before going to set.

In addition to this, cast and crew will have to go through temperature checks before stepping foot on set. Doctors and nurses will also be on site, and 150 hand sanitizers will be put up around the studio. 1,800 signs will also be displayed to remind crews that their numbers are limited in certain areas, and urging them to social distance. On top of this, all staff must undergo a COVID-19 Safety Training program, and everyone must wear masks, except for actors who are filming.

“Anyone with symptoms will be isolated immediately before being sent home,” a Universal production executive told Deadline. “We want to make sure that we are going above and beyond the national protocols to create a safe environment. Cost isn’t our main concern now: it’s safety.”

Reactions to Filming Announcement

Many Hollywood executives have been pushing for productions to reopen and trying to find ways to do so safely. While this is a victory for those who want to see the film industry get the greenlight to reopen, some think it is way too soon.

Actor Bradley Whitford, best known for his roles in “The West Wing” and
“Get Out” said Universal was setting a “dangerous precedent which will endanger crew members.”

Many others found it ironic that a film in the “Jurassic Park” series, which depicts the disaster that can ensue when you don’t listening to clear warnings, would be the first to resume filming.

Others believed that with testing as scarce as it is, and with so many in desperate need of medical and financial assistance, that Universal should not be spending millions of dollars on making sure its crew can be repeatedly tested so they can make a movie. 

DGA and SAG Release Guidelines

The news came just a few days after film and theater organizations released their own safety guidelines for how productions should resume during coronavirus. In a 37-page document, the Directors Guild of America, Screen Actors Guild, International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees and International Brotherhood of Teamsters emphasized that testing will be one of the most essential parts of safe film sets. 

These unions worked with epidemiologists and other medical experts to develop protocols for heading back to work. While their recommendations were meant to instruct crews on how to prioritize safety right now, they still mentioned that filming at this time comes with risks. 

“A working film set provides an exceptional opportunity for virus spread,” the document said, before noting that there are still so many things we do not know about this virus, like if antibodies equate immunity, or if rapid testing is reliable. 

Even with testing, the safety guidelines emphasized that there could be massive hurdles should anyone fall ill. 

“A single confirmed case would lead to a quarantining of all who came into close contact with that person,” the document read. “This could potentially lead to shooting delays, and—should that person be a key actor/performer or director—to production shutdowns, not to mention the real possibility of illness and death.”

Still, they maintained that “regular, consistent testing” was the best path forward, “based on the best available public health science.”

See what others are saying: (Deadline) (Variety) (The Hollywood Reporter)

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Max to Agrees to “Properly” Credit Writers and Directors After Facing Backlash For Lumping Them in As “Creators”

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The company said the credits were laid out incorrectly due to “an oversight in the technical transition from HBO Max to Max.”


After film and television writers slammed Max for crediting all writers, producers, and directors as general “creators” on its platform, the company said it will be adjusting its credits display.

“We agree that the talent behind the content on Max deserve their work to be properly recognized,” the streaming service said in a statement obtained by The Hollywood Reporter. 

Max — the new rebrand of HBO Max that incorporates Discovery content — launched on Tuesday to much criticism. Amid glitches and app-switching confusion, the biggest backlash it faced was over the choice to lump creative roles into one credit section called “creators.” As one viral tweet noted, if a user were to select the film “Raging Bull,” the service’s display would not specifically credit Martin Scorsese as the director, rather, his name would be included at random with half a dozen other people, including writers and producers. 

The decision was condemned by many in the industry who argued it minimizes writers and directors by not properly giving them credit where it is due. Especially amid the ongoing writers’ strike, and with directors and actors starting negotiations with studios, some took it as a slap in the face. 

“The studios don’t want anyone to know our names,” writer Christina Strain tweeted. “It’s easier to pay us nothing if we’re faceless.”

“Another move from studios to diminish the role of writers, directors, actors and other craftspeople. Miss me wit this nonsense,” Jorge Rivera, the Vice-Chair of the Writers Guild’s Latinx Writers Committee, added. 

In a statement, Directors Guild President Lesli Linka Glatter said that Warner Bros. Discovery’s choice to “collapse” these roles into one credit “while we are in negotiations with them is a grave insult to our members and our union.”

“The DGA will not stand for it,” Glatter continued.

WGA West President Meredith Stiehm claimed the move was “a credits violation,” as well as an insult “to the artists that make the films and TV shows that make their corporation billions.”

On Wednesday, Max said it would rework its crediting. 

“We will correct the credits, which were altered due to an oversight in the technical transition from HBO Max to Max and we apologize for this mistake,” the platform said.

See what others are saying: (Gizmodo) (The Hollywood Reporter) (The Los Angeles Times)

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A Quarter of Young British Men Support Andrew Tate’s Thoughts on Women

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U.K. residents at large, however, do not view him favorably.


Even under house arrest in Romania, misogynist influencer Andrew Tate still holds substantial sway over young men. 

According to data from YouGov that was obtained by The Independent, 26% of U.K. men between 18 and 29 years old who know of Tate agree with his views on women. That figure was largely the same for men between 30 and 39, as 28% agreed with Tate’s opinions on the subject. 

Men in their 30s were slightly more likely to agree with Tate on his thoughts about masculinity. Three out of ten supported those views, compared to just a quarter of men 18 to 29.

Those statistics only include the thoughts of men who have heard of Tate, but per YouGov, most have. In the 18 to 29 group, 93% were familiar with him, and 86% of men in their 30s knew of him. 

The U.K. at large was less aware of Tate, with just 63% of British adults having heard of him. Of that group, only 6% held a positive view of him. 

Tate has faced substantial backlash for his sexist rhetoric over the years. In the past, he said that men should have “authority” over their wives or girlfriends, and that women should “bear some responsibility” for being raped. He was previously banned from Twitter over his extremist views on women but has since been allowed back on the platform. 

He is currently being investigated in Romania for organized crime and human trafficking. He was arrested and held in custody in December but was released to house arrest earlier this year. No formal charges have been filed against him yet and he has maintained his innocence. 

Tate currently boasts a Twitter following of 6.7 million. It has grown significantly since he was enveloped in legal controversy, and many of his supporters have demanded his release. 

See what others are saying: (The Independent) (Glamour U.K.)

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Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Involved in “Near Catastrophic” Paparazzi Chase

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“While being a public figure comes with a level of interest from the public, it should never come at the cost of anyone’s safety,” a spokesperson for the couple said.


“Aggressive” Paparazzi Chase Couple in New York

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were involved in a “near catastrophic” paparazzi car chase Tuesday night in New York City, according to a spokesperson for the couple.

In a statement, the spokesperson described the photographers as “highly aggressive.”

“While being a public figure comes with a level of interest from the public, it should never come at the cost of anyone’s safety,” the statement added.

“This relentless pursuit, lasting over two hours, resulted in multiple near collisions involving other drivers on the road, pedestrians and two NYPD officers,” it continued. 

Details of the incident are still emerging, but BBC News reported that there are claims the chase involved roughly six cars driving recklessly by running red lights, driving on the sidewalk, carrying out blocking moves, going backward on a one-way road, and taking pictures while driving. 

The chase happened after Harry and Meghan were leaving the Women of Vision Awards with Meghan’s mother, Doria. They did not want photographers to learn where they were staying and attempted to avoid them in what turned into a 75-minute chase on a main road in Manhattan’s Upper East Side. They eventually ducked into a New York Police Department Precinct to hide out before getting into a different vehicle.

The NYPD released a statement confirming that they assisted in protecting the couple as “numerous photographers” hindered their transport. Officials said they made it to their destination and there were no collisions, injuries, or arrests. 

The couple’s spokesperson is asking the public to not share or post footage of the incident. 

“Dissemination of these images, given the ways in which they were obtained, encourages a highly intrusive practice that is dangerous to all in involved,” the spokesperson said. 

Memories of Princess Diana

The chase evokes the brutal press hounding Harry’s mother, Princess Diana, was subjected to throughout her life. The paparazzi’s obsession with her ultimately resulted in her death in 1997, when she was killed in a car crash after being chased by photographers in Paris. 

Since marrying Meghan and later bowing out of the Royal Family, Harry has made it explicitly clear that he fears those events could happen again. Meghan has been the subject of endless tabloid scrutiny, enduring racism and harassment from the press. Part of the reason they left the Royal Family was to keep their family protected from such attacks.

Mayor Eric Adams brought up Diana’s tragic passing while speaking about Tuesday night’s chase. 

“I don’t think there’s many of us who don’t recall how [Harry’s] mom died,” Adams said while speaking to reporters. “And it would be horrific to lose an innocent bystander during a chase like this and something to have happened to them as well…I think that was a bit reckless and irresponsible.” 

Adams also questioned whether or not he believes a chase could go on for two hours in a city as congested as New York, but noted that even a 10-minute chase would be dangerous. He said he will be briefed on the exact timeline and details later. 

See what others are saying: (BBC News) (Associated Press) (Yahoo News)

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