Movie moguls, directors and lawyers are searching for radical solutions to reopen Hollywood as soundstages gather dust and studio profits slide weeks after cameras stopped rolling due to coronavirus.
The film industry has been on lockdown in California since mid-March following strict stay-at-home orders, with movie and television shoots particularly exposed to the pandemic because of the large casts and crews required.
But even as politicians mull a gradual easing of restrictions, insiders say Tinseltown's sky-high costs—and liabilities—mean filmmaking could look very different to what came before, and be many months away.
"It's impossible to make a 'Star Wars' or a Marvel movie tomorrow morning," said Nicolas Chartier, Oscar-winning producer of "The Hurt Locker."
"Logically, there's too much liability and there's too much fear," agreed fellow producer Stephen Nemeth ("Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.")
"I can't see a movie like 'Dune' getting produced now. I can't see another epic film like 'Mad Max'—these films are 250 crew members and 250 extras. We just can't control it."
Though California has been praised for its pandemic response, the movie industry heartland has still recorded 45,000 cases, disproportionately centered around Los Angeles.
As such, insurance companies refuse to cover future production halts caused by on-set coronavirus outbreaks—delays that could cost millions on blockbuster projects.