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Staff working on Baz Luhrmann's film about Elvis have been given one week of severance pay after the Covid-19 threat led producers to postpone the project.
A source close to the production has told Business News Australia that filming was put on hold for two days after actor Tom Hanks tested positive to the virus, but they came back on the set at the start of this week.
For now Warner Bros has officially called off the Gold Coast-based production as the company believes it would be unable to protect staff safety, although it is hoped that filming will be able to recommence in August.
The film, so far untitled, is set to explore Elvis' rise to fame, his stardom and his impact on the world of music.
The storyline also explores the musician's complex relationship with his manager Colonel Tom Parker, played by Tom Hanks.
Both Hanks and his wife Rita Wilson tested positive to Covid-19.
"We felt a bit tired, like we had colds, and some body aches. Rita had some chills and that came and went. Slight fevers too," Hanks said on Twitter and Instagram last week.
"To play things right, as is needed in the world right now, we were tested for the Coronavirus, and were found to be positive."
The production alone was estimated to be employing around 900 Queenslanders in behind-the-scenes roles, including set construction, catering and transportation, and inject more than $105 million into the local economy.
Filming of another production, Marvel's 'Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings', has also been cancelled.
Production was postponed after director Destin Daniel Cretton was advised to self-isolate and tested for Covid-19, which came back with a negative result.
The movie was being filmed at Fox Studios in Sydney.
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Business News Australia
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