Following Positive COVID Test Netflix Pauses Production on ‘The Harder They Fall’

Netflix pauses filming on The Harder They Fall starring Idris Elba and Regina King after a production member tested positive for COVID-19.

Production of the film occurred for about five weeks until production stopped Thursday and continued into Friday. It is unclear when the cameras will start rolling again but is expected to resume next week. According to an insider, no members of the primary cast tested positive. It is unclear if the cast or crew who tested positive was symptomatic.

Elba was one of the first celebrities to go public with a coronavirus diagnosis. In March, Elba announced that he and his wife, Sabrina Dhowre Elba, had been diagnosed with COVID-19.

The Western, shot in New Mexico, The Harder They Fall follows an outlaw who discovers that the man who killed his parents has been released from prison. He brings together a gang to help him embark on his quest for revenge.

Jeymes Samuel directs The Harder They Fall from a script he co-wrote with Boaz Yakin. The film also stars Jonathan Majors, Zazie Beetz, Lakeith Stanfield, and Delroy Lindo.

It is not uncommon that TV and Movie productions will have unfortunately encountered COVID cases. Major films such as The Batman had to be shut down for nearly two weeks in September after Robert Pattinson tested positive for COVID-19 but has since then resumed filming.