by Thinus Ferreira
Amazon Studios has abruptly shut down production of the French version of the Love Island reality show, Love Island: France that was filmed in Cape Town in South Africadue to the rapid spread of the Covid-19 coronavirus, while it has also indefinitely shuttered production on its Lord of the Rings prequel series in New Zealand produced by GSR Productions.
"Following the announcement by the South African president that the country is now in a state of disaster Amazon Studios's production of Love Island: France will end early," ITV Studios France says in a statement, producing the show for Amazon Studios.
"The health and safety of the production team, the contestants and all people involved is our utmost priority, so we have ended production on this season now."
The final episode will become available on Monday night with viewers who will be able to vote for their favourite couple, with the results that will be announced online.
Meanwhile the Lord of the Rings prequel series produced by GSR Productions for Amazon Studios and its Amazon Prime Video streaming service also shut down, according to The New Zealand Herald.
The production staff of over 800 people gearing up to film the first season of the show in West Auckland have been told "there are no clear answers to when we will resume production".
Staffers were told "not report to the set or to the studio without the express permission of your supervisor".
MultiChoice warned DStv subscribers that the Covid-19 coronavirus is negatively impacting TV programming and that "We are starting to see the effect of the pandemic", while the National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) on Monday announced that it's cancelling the 14th South African Film and Television Awards (SAFTAs) that was set to take place on 27 and 28 March 2020.
The SABC has several local weekday soaps filming daily episodes for its SABC1 and SABC2 channels with casts and crews bigger than 100 people including its just-revived SABC1 YO.TV youth afternoon block; with the same happening for e.tv that runs Scandal! and Rhythm City.
Meanwhile MultiChoice and M-Net have several big ensemble casts in shows as well for its Mzansi Magic (DStv 161) and kykNET (DStv 144) channels.
The majority if not all of these local South African weekday soaps are likely to hit the shutdown button this week in order to protect casts and crews, although all of them have some week's padding with about a month's episodes already in the can as a reserve.
M-Net (DStv 101) will very likely have to postpone the filming and change the island location of its upcoming 8th Survivor SA: Immunity Island season, produced by Afrokaans, that was set to broadcast in September, while Rapid Blue will likely implement changes for the second season finale and "Women Tell All" episodes of The Bachelor SA.
Questions are swirling around the latest 16th season of Idols, produced by [SIC] Entertainment, and how it will continue given that the show has a contestant and crew complement of over 100 people.
SABC and Danie Odendaal Productions will likely be forced to cancel the upcoming 20th anniversary celebrations and viewers' competition for its longrunning 7de Laan Afrikaans weekday soap.
