Universal Halting Multiple Productions, Including Jurassic World: Dominion

March 14, 2020

Universal Pictures has decided to follow in the footsteps of fellow studios Disney and Paramount Pictures and has halted production on multiple projects amidst coronavirus concerns, including the third installment in the Jurassic Park sequel trilogy, Jurassic World: Dominion, according to Deadline.

Dominion, which unites the original cast trio of Laura Dern Sam Neill and Jeff Goldblum with the leads from the sequel trilogy, Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard, recently began shooting in Hawaii at the end of February and has a June 2021 release date, but with production on a major budget blockbuster coming to a halt, it’s unclear if the release will need to be pushed back.

In addition to the Jurassic World finale, Universal has also halted production on other projects. These include sports drama Flint Strong starring Ryan Destiny (Star) and Ice Cube (Fist Fight) and an untitled Judd Apatow-produced comedy starring Billy Eichner (The Lion King).

The studio released a statement assuring that “the studio continues to monitor the situation closely and will make a determination on when to restart production in the coming weeks.”

Universal joins a list of studios to halt production on major projects in the wake of the global coronavirus outbreak. Disney halted production of seven live-action projects including The Little Mermaid and Shang-Chi and The Legend of the Seven Rings. Paramount stopped with Mission: Impossible 7, while WarnerMedia stopped shooting 70 series including The Flash and Lucifer. Warner Bros. announced today it would be delaying The Batman by at least two weeks.

Studios have also begun re-evaluating their release calendars. Universal and MGM have delayed Daniel Craig’s final James Bond outing No Time to Die from April to November and F9: The Fast Saga from this April to April 2021. Paramount Pictures pulled A Quiet Place Part II, The Lovebirds and Blue Story from their schedules.