The Falcon and The Winter Soldier Crew Exempt From European Travel Ban

Last week, we speculated the production of The Falcon and The Winter Soldier had hit a roadblock that seemed insurmountable. At the time, the European Union was weighing a ban that'd bar any travelers from the United States from traveling to any member countries. While that ban is still in effect, certain countries have taken liberties with who they will and won't allow to cross into their territory. In the case of the Czech Republic, the country will continue to allow Hollywood access to film projects it had been filming when the shutdowns first came into play in March.

Luckily for Marvel Studios, that means The Falcon and The Winter Soldier can get back to work in Prague as soon as the studio can reunite the production teams once again. In a note to studios (via Variety), Czech Film Commission head Pavlína Žipková clarified the current ban, suggesting it was only for tourists from the United States.

"In relation to the EU declaring a travel ban on the U.S., please let me assure you this is not valid for economic workers but tourism travellers only. Filmmakers of all nations are welcome in the Czech Republic."

When the show first shut down, the majority of its first season had been shot and the series was putting some finishing touches on it in Prague. According to Anthony Mackie and Sebastian Stan, there were just a few weeks left to film when the cast and crew were sent back home.

"We have a little bit more to go back and do, but everybody rest assured, it will come out. We are not cancelled," Mackie said. "Because you know, in this business, 'Take a little break, we'll come back to it,' that means they're never coming back to it [laughs]. I was like, 'Man, I was Captain America for all of two weeks, this sucks! How did I get fired on my day off?'"

Now it's a question of when the studio will want to return to production stateside. Though many economies began to reopen earlier this month, rising COVID-19 cases have caused the earliest openers to temporarily halt their reopening rollouts. At one point, it had been reported the Kevin Feige-led studio wanted to pick production on WandaVision and Loki back up in July if possible.

The Falcon and The Winter Soldier is currently scheduled for release in August.

Who do you think the big bad for the first Marvel Studios series will be? Let us know your thoughts either in the comments section or by hitting our writer @AdamBarnhardt up on Twitter to chat all things MCU!