Coronavirus fears are very real and the disrupting impact it continues to have on the global economy is nothing to take lightly. While precautionary measures are being implemented everywhere to flatten the curve of exponential spread, these preventative actions are taking a toll on all industries and the film business is not immune to them. In the wake of the SXSW Film Festival cancellation and the will-they-or-won’t they debate about Cannes, the latest disruption is on the Disney side (note that E3 in Los Angeles just canceled too). Filming on Marvel’s upcoming Disney+ series, the first of its kind, “The Falcon & The Winter Soldier,” has been halted in Prague over coronavirus concerns.
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Following the Prague government’s school closure and restrictions placed on events and travel, Disney felt it best to shut down production of the series, as its shooting in the middle of Europe, where several outbreaks have spread. “The Falcon & The Winter Soldier” had already been shooting in Atlanta for weeks—Marvel’s favorite location in the U.S. thanks to tax breaks—but the production was scheduled to shoot for a week in Prague, presumably to capture some of the authenticity of the old European city rather than fake it at home. It’s unclear if the production will return, but likely not.
“We’re all sobered by the concern we all feel for everyone affected by this global crisis,” Iger said in an annual shareholders meeting in Raleigh, North Carolina, webcast today. “Disney has been through a lot, including wars and economic downturns and disasters. We are incredibly resilient. Our future has always been bright and it remains so for good reason.”
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Due in August on Disney+, this is the second disruption “The Falcon & The Winter Soldier” limited series has faced, following a reschedule after the recent devastating earthquakes in Puerto Rico.
That said, presumably the show, showrun by “Empire” writer/producer Malcolm Spellman, will likely still hit its late summer scheduled date. ‘Falcon & The Winter Soldier’ features Anthony Mackie and Sebastian Stan reprising their roles as the Marvel heroes with a contentious relationship, only tied by their mutual friendship to Captain America. The show also features Daniel Brühl, Emily VanCamp, returning for their respective Marvel roles as well as Wyatt Russell scheduled to play John Walker; a militaristic successor to Captain America created by the U.S. government. This also likely means the return of Secretary of State Thaddeus E. “Thunderbolt” Ross played by William Hurt (who is also turning up in the upcoming “Black Widow” movie).
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Much of the narrative so far, even though little is known, points to the U.S. government appropriating the Captain America shield from the Falcon, despite Cap bequeathing it to him at the end of “Avengers: Endgame,” giving it to Walker, and trying to control the narrative of Captain America from a political and government oversight perspective. This would presumably put Falcon and the Winter Soldier on the outs, and perhaps acting outside the laws—though what global leaders’ position on the status of superheroes, given the now outdated Sokovia Accords and world-saving events of ‘Endgame’ have likely softened and changed.
To that end, look for ‘Falcon & The Winter Soldier’ to potentially pick up the political thread of “Captain America: Civil War” and perhaps keep the tenuous and fragile status quo relationship between superheroes and the government, at least for now.
