Starting with The Witcher season 2, the production had been set up in the U.K., making it the first production based in the country to be affected by the coronavirus situation. The cast and crew will continue to be paid during the break. It comes just after Netflix decided to halt all productions in the U.S. and Canda as well, including Stranger Things season 4. A source involved in the production had this to say in a statement.
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The Witcher, which stars Henry Cavill, became a massive hit for Netflix following its debut in December. The streaming service wasted no time in getting season 2 going. The show is based on the novels by Andrzej Sapkowski. No release date for the sophomore season had been set, but it was expected to debut in late 2020 or early 2021.
We have made the decision, effective immediately, to pause production for two weeks during this difficult time… this will allow everyone the time to make informed decisions about how to move forward. The coronavirus has raised challenging issues for everyone working on set on productions for Netflix. We are very grateful for all the work everyone has done to keep cast and crew safe during this pandemic."
Elsewhere, the highly-anticipated, untitled Lord of the Rings series has also been halted in New Zealand. The country has instituted strict containment measures, with anyone coming across the border having to isolate themselves for two weeks. A memo from GSR Productions, which is behind the show, sent out a memo to the crew alerting them to the shutdown. The memo reads as follows.
