Jurassic World: Dominion reduces crew for Malta shoot following COVID-19 spike in area

Jurassic World: Dominion began filming in February 2020 and was halted in March due to Coronavirus or COVID-19 pandemic. The movie recently resumed shooting following strict guidelines. Now the film’s production crew in Malta has been scaled back following the rise in COVID-19 cases in the island country.

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'Jurassic World: Dominion' minimizes crew on Malta schedule

Universal Studios has decided to modify their planned schedule for Malta shooting of Jurassic World: Dominion. They have shifted from a first unit crew to a second unit one, which has less number of people. This is because there has been a surge in coronavirus cases in Malta over the week. The country will again close all nightclubs, concert halls, bars and sports clubs, from today. According to MaltaToday, four members of the crew have tested COVID-19 positive and are spending time in quarantine.

In a statement to Deadline, Universal Pictures spokesperson said that Jurassic World: Dominion will have a significant presence in Malta with a second unit crew shooting there from the end of August through to September. Working with an abundance of caution as they have done throughout this production, the first unit will no longer shoot in Malta to keep the crew's presence on the ground to a minimum. The studio thanked the Maltese Government and Film Commission for all their support and mentioned that they look forward to a successful shoot in the country.

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According to Deadline, there will be 200 crew members working on the multi-week second unit shoot of Jurassic World: Dominion. It is around 50% reduction from their expected team. The unit will include local professionals, while members are also arriving from the United Kingdom, where the movie will be heading after Malta. Testing will be frequent on the sets. The Malta Film Commission stated that it was anticipating close to 1,000 people being employed on the shoot in the country, which offers tax incentives for foreign films.

Earlier this year, the $200 million budget movie stopped filming two weeks into the shoot. However, it was among the first tentpoles to return to production after lockdown. Universal Pictures has spent $9 million, conducting 18,000 tests and had rented a whole hotel for its cast and crew.

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About 'Jurassic World: Dominion'

Jurassic World: Dominion cast features Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, Sam Neill, Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum, Jake Johnson, Omar Sy, Daniella Pineda, Justice Smith, Isabella Sermon and BD Wong reprising their roles from the previous installments. Mamoudou Athie, DeWanda Wise, Dichen Lachman, Scott Haze, and Campbell Scott will be joining the franchise. Directed by Colin Trevorrow, Jurassic World: Dominion is scheduled to release on June 11, 2021.