JESSICA CHASTAIN AND RALPH FIENNES FILM PUT ON HOLD: John Michael McDonagh‘s The Forgiven has put a pause on shooting in Morocco because of coronavirus. Ralph Fiennes, Jessica Chastain, Caleb Landry Jones and Saïd Taghmaoui star in the drama that is based on a novel by Lawrence Osborne. The shotry follows the fallout from a random accident on the lives of an English couple, their friends and locals who have gathered at a desert villa for a weeklong celebration. The film was due to wrap next week. TBD when it will pick up again.
HALF OF U.S. HOMES WITH KIDS UNDER 10 ARE ON DISNEY+: Disney+ is doing well as the House of Mouse suffers amid the global coronavirus pandemic. Since Disney+ launched in the U.S. in November of 2019, about 50% of American households with kids under 10 have subscribed, according to data from Ampere Analysis. Homes with kids 18 and under are at 42%. With millions of kids home due to coronavirus, observers speculate that those numbers will go up.
AMC CLOSES ALL THEATERS: AMC is shutting down all operations for at least six to 12 weeks because of the coronavirus pandemic. AMC is the largest chain in the country with 630 locations and 11,000 screens. Regal Cinemas has also shut down. “We are ever so disappointed for our moviegoing guests and for our employee teams that the new CDC guidelines that Americans should not gather in groups larger than 10 people make it impossible to open our theaters,” said AMC CEO Adam Aron in a statement. “Still, the health and well-being of AMC guests and employees, and of all Americans, takes precedence above all else.”
KRISTOFER HIVJU TESTS POSITIVE FOR CORONAVIRUS: Kristofer Hivju, best known for playing Tormund on Game of Thrones, is the latest celeb to test positive for coronavirus. He shared the bad news on Instagram, saying he is self-isolating. He wrote: “My (family) and I are self-isolating at home for as long as it takes. We are in good health – I only have mild symptoms of a cold. There are people at higher risk for who this virus might be a devastating diagnosis, so I urge all of you to be extremely careful; wash your hands, keep 1,5 meters distance from others, go in quarantine; just do everything you can to stop the virus from spreading. Together we can fight this virus and avert a crisis at our hospitals. Please take care of each other, keep your distance, and stay healthy!”