Covid-19 fears continue to cause delays and cancellations of films and gigs

Disney’s blockbuster remake of Mulan is the latest major release to be postponed, as a nervous Hollywood attempts to mitigate the fallout from the Covid-19 pandemic.

Mulan had been set to be one of the entertainment giant’s tent-pole films of 2020 and was supposed to arrive in UK cinemas on March 27.

However, Disney has now delayed its release until an unspecified date later in the year, along with horror films The New Mutants and Antlers.

The news came hours after A Quiet Place II and Fast & Furious 9 were both postponed. Another of 2020’s biggest films, James Bond movie No Time To Die, has already been pushed back to November, having originally been set to arrive in April.

In better news for film fans, beloved Hollywood star Tom Hanks has reassured fans he and wife Rita Wilson are doing well, after they were both diagnosed with Covid-19 while in Australia for an Elvis Presley biopic he is starring in.

The coronavirus is also causing havoc in the music industry.

The annual global music event, which involves thousands of people and small businesses, was due to take place on April 18 but has been delayed because of coronavirus concerns.

Record Store Day said in a statement the decision “comes at a time of unprecedented uncertainty and the health and safety of the general public must come first”.

Organisers said: “This was absolutely not an easy decision to make as hundreds of independent shops and labels have been working hard towards this year’s celebrations.

“We’re working with all of our partners and our stores to make this change as smooth as possible for everyone: customers, record stores, artists, labels and more.

“Record Store Day is everywhere and we want to hold our party when everyone can gather around safely to celebrate life, art, music and the culture of the indie record store.”

Teen pop sensation Billie Eilish has been forced to postpone a string of US tour dates as health officials around the world warn against mass gatherings of people.

Eilish, one of music’s hottest stars, said: “I’m so sad to do this but we need to postpone these dates to keep everyone safe. We’ll let you know when they can be rescheduled. Please keep yourselves healthy. I love you.”

Other musicians including The Who and Pearl Jam have postponed their tours.

However, the Glastonbury Festival defied coronavirus fears to announce rapper Kendrick Lamar as its third headliner, joining Sir Paul McCartney and Taylor Swift.

Organisers said they were “working hard” to ensure the event goes ahead in June.

Television in the US has been thrown into disarray by the crisis. NBCUniversal reportedly suspended production on about 35 shows, including Chicago Fire, Chicago PD, Chicago Med and Law & Order: SVU.

And in another disturbance to everyday life in the US, the late-night talk shows, a television staple in America, have also halted filming.

The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Late Night With Seth Myers and The Late Show With Stephen Colbert are all ceasing production. All three shows are based in New York City, where a state of emergency has been declared.

The shows had already been filming without a studio audience. All three are planning to return to a normal taping schedule on March 30, their respective networks said.

Production on the second series of neo-noir fantasy Carnival Row, starring Orlando Bloom and Cara Delevingne, has been suspended. Bloom said he was going home to the US, where his fiance Katy Perry is expecting their first child.

The Bafta games awards will no longer be a red carpet ceremony on April 2 and will instead take the form of an online live stream.

Disney has announced it is closing its theme parks in California, Florida and Paris, shuttering Disneyland Park, Disney California Adventure, Walt Disney World Resort and Disneyland Paris Resort.

The Disney cruise line will suspend new departures from March 14.

Sadiq Khan has announced the cancellation of the Mayor of London’s St Patrick’s festival in the capital, which was due to take place on Sunday.

He said key performers and parade participants are “no longer able to participate due to the ongoing threat of coronavirus”.

Looking ahead, major events shrouded in doubt include the Met Gala and Cannes film festival, both in May, the Eurovision Song Contest in Rotterdam, also in May and San Diego Comic-Con in July.

Here is a list of the other major events affected by the outbreak:

– Celebrity Race Across The World

Producers Studio Lambert and the BBC decided to postpone production of the celebrity version of Race Across The World.

A spin-off of the regular series, the programme is set to see stars “stripped of mod cons and luxuries” as they attempt to travel thousands of miles across different countries without taking a flight.

The festivals were supposed to take place in the California desert in April but have been pushed back to October.

Coachella, one of the world’s biggest music festivals, attracted about 250,000 attendees over its two weekends last year.

Country music festival Stagecoach draws more than 70,000 country music fans. Both Coachella and Stagecoach share the same organiser.

– South By Southwest

The annual film, music and technology festival had been set to take place from March 16 to 22 in Austin, Texas, but was cancelled on March 6.

A string of major companies had already pulled out, including Facebook, Twitter, Apple and Amazon, when Austin mayor Steve Adler implemented an emergency order.

– Electronic Entertainment Expo

Widely known as E3, the annual event draws the biggest names in video games to Los Angeles each year.

It was set to take place in June but a spokesman said the team was “devastated” to cancel the event.

They added: “This decision was not reached lightly, but it is the right one for the health and safety of all involved.”

– Nickelodeon’s Kids’ Choice Awards

The ceremony was due to take place at the Forum in Inglewood, California, with Chance the Rapper on hosting duties.

But Nickelodeon has postponed the event in “consideration of the safety and well-being of every person involved with the show, which is our top priority”.

A new date will be announced “in the future”, the network said.

– GLAAD Media Awards

The LGBTQ awards show was set to take place in New York next week but was cancelled on Wednesday.

Prolific TV producer Ryan Murphy and veteran actress Judith Light were among those being honoured.

The organisation said it would provide an update “in coming weeks” on the Los Angeles awards show scheduled for April, where Taylor Swift is due to receive the vanguard award.

– CinemaCon

The National Association of Theatre Owners announced the decision to cancel this year’s event shortly after Donald Trump unveiled the suspension on travel between the US and continental Europe.

The body said the ban, added to travel restrictions elsewhere, meant a “significant portion of the worldwide motion picture community is not able to attend”.

The annual gathering of film theatre owners from around the world was scheduled to run from March 30 to April 2 in Las Vegas.

– PaleyFest 2020

The major TV festival in Los Angeles was due to host shows including HBO comedy Curb Your Enthusiasm, time-travelling drama Outlander and Star Trek: Picard later this month.

But organisers said that out of an “abundance of concern” it was being postponed.

A spokesman added: “We are exploring options to reschedule the festival and all ticket purchases will be honoured for the new dates.”

– AFI tribute to Dame Julie Andrews

The revered actress, 84, had been set to receive a lifetime achievement award from the American Film Institute on April 25.

But it has been postponed, with a new date to be announced.

– London Book Fair

The literary event was cancelled earlier this month.

It was due to take place at Olympia London from March 10 to 12 before organisers pulled the plug.

Reed Exhibitions said the London Book Fair will return next year, “better than ever”.

– The RTS Programme Awards

Earlier this week the Royal Television Society (RTS) announced its Programme Awards, due to take place on March 17, will be held behind closed doors.

RTS said it has been monitoring the current climate in line with official guidance against large gatherings of people, and decided to streamline the format of the ceremony.

– TCM Classic Film Festival

Hollywood’s annual gathering of classic film fans, due to take place between April 16 and 19, has been cancelled.

– Country To Country

The multi-venue event, one of Europe’s largest country music festivals, was postponed less than 24 hours before it was due to begin.

The three-day festival of live music was due to take place on Friday, Saturday and Sunday across venues in England, Scotland and Ireland, featuring performers including Luke Combs and The Shires.

– Tribeca Film Festival

The 19th edition of the annual New York event was postponed, although organisers did not confirm an alternative date.

The London rock band cancelled their UK tour, which was due to begin in Norwich on Friday night, after a member began “showing symptoms of Covid-19”.