Less then twenty-four hours after Universal announced the decision to push back Jurassic World: Dominion one whole year to June 2022, director Colin Trevorrow has revealed that production on the highly anticipated dino sequel has been shut down for at least two weeks due to positive COVID cases.
He stresses that the individuals who tested positive have since tested negative, but the cast and crew will adhere to the extensive safety protocols set by the studio and halt filming until everyone is completely in the clear.
After initially kickstarting filming in February, Jurassic World: Dominion was one of many films to enter an indefinite production hiatus during the global coronavirus outbreak in March and had to wait until mid-July to resume filming with proper safety protocols in place. They've been filming nonstop ever since with no incident (until now), and were expected to wrap in around three weeks. That time-table has likely now been shifted to mid-November.
The film is now the second major Hollywood blockbuster to face significant production delays after the filming restart, following Matt Reeves' The Batman, which had its star Robert Pattinson test positive in September. They did resume after he was cleared, but this second delay pushed Warner Bros. into moving that film into 2022 as well earlier this week.
The star-studded cast of Jurassic World: Dominion will feature Jurassic alums Chris Pratt (Owen Grady), Bryce Dallas Howard (Claire Dearing), 3x Golden Globe-nominee Sam Neill (Alan Grant), Academy Award-winner Laura Dern (Ellie Sattler), Academy Award-nominee Jeff Goldblum (Ian Malcolm), Jake Johnson (Lowery Cruthers), Omar Sy (Barry Sembane), Justice Smith (Franklin Webb), Daniella Pineda (Zia Rodriguez), Isabella Sermon (Maisie Lockwood), and BD Wong (Dr. Henry Wu).
Newcomers to the franchise include Mamoudou Athie (Sorry for Your Loss), DeWanda Wise (She's Gotta Have It), Dichen Lachman (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.) and Scott Haze (Venom). Details on their roles are currently being kept under wraps. Campbell Scott (The Amazing Spider-Man) has also joined the cast as Dodgson.
Jurassic World: Dominion is now slated to roar into theaters June 10, 2022.