Warner Bros has suspended the shoot of Eddie Redmayne starring Fantastic Beasts after a crew member got infected by a South African strain of Covid 19
Producers of the film have, however, haven’t revealed which crew member had contracted COVID
A set insider said there was concern the coronavirus variant was present among the staff despite strict protocol measures being put in place after a previous outbreak at the studio.
The source said: “Production is only halted if someone cannot be filmed. No one is saying who it is, but it’s someone who cannot be replaced. The studios have been one of the most secure Covid places since they reopened so there are real fears that it is the South African variant that has got through. Everyone is assuming that it is the South African variant and that is all they are talking about. All production of the film set for Fantastic Beasts 3 has been shut down. We don’t know when we will be back.”
The “Fantastic Beasts” franchise is a huge project for Warner Bros. The first film, “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” (2016), grossed $814 million worldwide, while the second, “Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald” (2018), collected $655 million.
The film is expected to release July 15, 2022.