Robert Pattinson’s positive COVID test on «The Batman» presents the first real-world example of the hazards of making a movie in a pandemic.
For months, the entire entertainment industry has monomaniacally focused on how to return to work amid the coronavirus pandemic. Reams of health and safety protocols have dictated everything from proper PPE attire to testing schedules to how many people can be on a set, and by July and August, a small handful of major productions — “The Matrix 4,” “Jurassic World: Dominion” — began to put those guidelines through their paces. While a few people have tested positive, barely any outbreaks have been reported, and no productions have had to stop completely. It started to seem like maybe Hollywood’s full pipeline could finally start flowing again. And then Batman got COVID-19. The news that Robert Pattinson had tested positive just two days after “The Batman” resumed production at Leavesden Studios in the UK has presented the industry with the first real-world example of the true hazards of making a movie at this scale amid a pandemic. When the first person on the call sheet of a movie this massive tests positive, the ripple effects are profound for the production. How what’s happening with “The Batman” will affect the wider industry, however, remains to be seen. According to a source familiar with protocols for UK-based productions, anyone with a positive test needs to quarantine for a minimum of 10 days. Then they can be cleared for work if a subsequent test comes back negative and they’re asymptomatic. Other productions have required at least two negative tests, and no COVID-19 symptoms for at least 72 hours. Further, anyone who came within six feet of Pattinson for more than 15 minutes would need to be immediately isolated for 14 days, regardless of whether or not they test positive.
