There are some key things that need to happen before Robert Pattinson can return to resume filming on The Batman. News came down this week that the Bruce Wayne actor had tested positive for COVID-19 and the production went into scramble mode. Now, Variety has obtained the information about how the road back looks for the entire cast and crew. So, The Batman is filming in the United Kingdom, which means the protocols are a bit different than here in the United States. 10 days quarantine for everyone is the minimum over there. Then, the individuals who tested positive for the virus can only be cleared to go back to work if another test comes back negative. However, their report notes that some other productions have requested two negative tests and no symptoms of the virus before getting back to work.
Variety’s reported, “Furthermore, anyone who came within six feet of Pattinson for more than 15 minutes would need to be immediately isolated for 14 days, regardless of whether or not they test positive. That would likely mean any actors or stunt performers who appeared on camera with Pattinson without a mask, along with any crew members tasked with supporting Pattinson through the shoot — including director Matt Reeves, if he didn’t remain socially distant with Pattinson. If any of those people also test positive, further quarantining of individuals within their respective orbits would be necessary as well.”
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WarnerMedia CEO Ann Sarnoff commented on the situation shortly after the news broke. “We’re still in the middle of investigating what is the situation,” she said. “We’re pausing temporarily for now until we have more information, but we have all the protocols set up to do contact tracing and hopefully get back up into production very soon.”
Comicbook.com’s Russ Burlingame also gave a read of the situation in the aftermath of the news coming down as well:
“Typically the quarantine time with a positive test is two weeks, and as far as production resuming, we’ll have to wait and see how the studio proceeds,” he explained. “Every studio seems to handle positive tests a bit differently, but it stands to reason that the star of the film would be difficult to continue without.”
“Since the start of the pandemic, there has been speculation that returning to production on big tentpole blockbusters would be difficult, given the sheer number of people on set at any given time,” Burlingame added. “Superhero movies are even more challenging, given the frequent need for long sits in the makeup chair or intimate contact with numerous people who help them on and off with makeup, tight-fitting costumes, or the rigs needed to simulate flight or other superheroic abilities.”
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