Pandemic be damned, a deadline is a deadline—and so production on The Batman has reportedly resumed despite the absence of its star, Robert Pattinson, who tested positive for COVID-19 days after filming began anew.
According to the Daily Mail director Matt Reeves is determined to get as much of the film shot as possible, with three months remaining in the film’s production schedule. A delay, the tabloid reports, could cost Warner Bros. £5 million—around $6.6 million.
“The aim is to get as much done as possible before he returns and the hope is that none of the other actors get the virus,” a source told Daily Mail. “Crew can be replaced as most are freelance and hired for the duration of the shoot, but it would be disastrous if another major actor gets the virus.”
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The Batman production first went on hiatus in March as the novel coronavirus pandemic spread. On Thursday, days after production finally resumed, Warner Bros. confirmed that a member of the production had tested positive for COVID-19. Sources told Vanity Fair soon after that the person in question was, in fact, Pattinson.
“A member of The Batman production has tested positive for COVID-19, and is isolating in accordance with established protocols,” Warner Bros. said in a statement. “Filming is temporarily paused.”
Pattinson will self-isolate for two weeks as he recovers, and meanwhile all crew members who did not have direct contact with him have been asked to reconvene, Daily Mail reports, as sets are being moved to a new studio. Pattinson’s body double is also on-hand for filming.
A representative for Warner Bros. did not immediately respond to The Daily Beast’s request for comment regarding Pattinson’s reported diagnosis or the Daily Mail’s report.
Speaking with Variety about how Pattinson’s reported COVID-19 diagnosis could affect morale, Production Guild of Great Britain CEO Lyndsay Duthie said, “Production teams are resilient as already proven and will always find innovative ways to keep moving forwards. I think it is more of a sense of frustration, when all have worked so hard to comply to comprehensive measures.”
