With the coronavirus spreading every day (there are now well over 165,000 confirmed cases worldwide), the disease has had significant impacts on a handful of industries and economies, with the effects being felt around the world. Aside from manufacturing shortages that have plagued China, the gaming industry has seen a handful of events and competitions canceled and Hollywood has been hit with a number of delays and postponements.
Among many others, Matt Reeves’ The Batman has shut down filming for at least two weeks, and a handful of TV shows have halted production as well, including Supergirl, Batwoman and Stranger Things (this is by no means an exhaustive list, mind you). Now, it looks like another superhero movie has fallen victim to COVID-19, though it might not be the project you’d expect.
As reported by ComicBook.com, Sylvester Stallone’s newest flick, Samaritan, is shutting down production for two weeks in response to the spread of the coronavirus. Thankfully, filming only kicked off half a month ago, but it remains to be seen if MGM will have to push the release of the pic as a result of this production setback.
Despite the delays, we’re sincerely hoping that Samaritan proves to be a more fruitful effort than Stallone’s previous project, Rambo: Last Blood, which didn’t exactly resonate with moviegoers and critics. Admittedly, the film’s premise does show promise — it follows a young boy who sets out to discover if a vanished superhero from yesteryear is in fact, still alive. The project has been described as a dark, new take on the genre, and frankly, it sounds like a refreshing change of pace compared to the movies being cranked out by Disney and Warner Bros.
Unless its plans get derailed by the coronavirus, Samaritan is set to release in theaters on December 11th.