EXCLUSIVE: Vancouver continues to be a bright spot in the fight against COVID-19 and for Hollywood studios’ hopes to safely resume production.
The situation remains fluid, but I hear Warner Bros. TV is planning for a late-August starts for the studio’s Vancouver-based broadcast series. Because a 30-day notice to actors is required, the casts of a number of WBTV series filming in Vancouver this week received letters from the studio, informing them that their services for the 2020-21 season will commence in August, subject to SAG approval.
The planned start dates, which are tentative amid a COVID-19 spike in the U.S., vary for the various shows; I hear they range between Aug. 20-27. I hear the dates reflect when actors would need to arrive in Vancouver for a two-week self-isolation required by British Columbia, the province that Vancouver is part of. Filming would start after the end of the quarantine period.
The list of WBTV shows that are eying late August starts include most Berlanti Prods. series, which film in Vancouver, including The Flash, Riverdale and Superman and Lois.
As we previously reported, some Supernatural cast members started arriving in Vancouver earlier this month, with the show on track to begin shooting its final three episodes in early-mid August.
It’s been six weeks since the Hollywood unions and guilds on June 12 released their White Paper of detailed safety guidelines that was to serve as a starting point and a blueprint in the negotiations with studios. After weeks of talks, progress has been made but, as of late last week, there were still multiple outstanding issues. The two sides appear to have gotten closer to a deal this week.
If a union agreement on safety protocols is reached in the next couple of weeks, a handful of other Vancouver-based broadcast series, including ABC’s A Million Little Things, could also start production in August joined by a bigger contingent in September.