Gerard Butler’s new movie The Plane gets dropped by Lionsgate after producers failed to secure insurance for a COVID-19 outbreak
Gerard Butler’s new movie The Plane has hit a snag on its way to take-off, with studio Lionsgate parting ways with the project.
The studio has backed out of the project because the producers have failed to secure insurance that would cover a potential COVID-19 outbreak, per Deadline.
Still, the project, which was one of the hot properties at last year’s American Film Market, will still likely find a new home soon, under a much different deal.
No studio: Gerard Butler’s new movie The Plane has hit a snag on its way to take-off, with studio Lionsgate parting ways with the project
Insurance: The studio has backed out of the project because the producers have failed to secure insurance that would cover a potential COVID-19 outbreak, per Deadline
MadRiver International and CAA Media Finance secured the distribution deal with Lionsgate last year, and they are currently on the hunt for a new distributor.
The report adds that the new distributor will likely have to ‘self-insure’ the project themselves, setting aside millions of dollars in the event that a COVID-19 outbreak happens and shuts down filming for more than two weeks.
This exact scenario just happened on the set of Olivia Wilde’s new directorial effort, Don’t Worry Darling.
Distributor: MadRiver International and CAA Media Finance secured the distribution deal with Lionsgate last year, and they are currently on the hunt for a new distributor
If there is no outbreak that leads to production shutdown, those funds will then be put back into the film’s budget, which is said to be $50 million.
As for Lionsgate, sources close to the project insist there is no animosity towards the studio for parting ways, though insurance amid a pandemic is just one of the many new hurdles indie filmmakers are facing.
Most insurers haven’t been writing new policies since March, and those that are doing so are usually charging exorbitant amounts.
Outbreak: If there is no outbreak that leads to production shutdown, those funds will then be put back into the film’s budget, which is said to be $50 million
Lionsgate and other smaller studios will see their overall insurance policies expire next year, making it even more difficult to start production.
Insurance companies are also concerned about ‘civil authority,’ a scenario where the government could shut down all film and TV productions to curb the pandemic.
The Plane follows Butler’s character, a commercial airline pilot named Ray Torrance, who managed to land his storm-damaged plane in a war zone.
New movie: The Plane follows Butler’s character, a commercial airline pilot named Ray Torrance, who managed to land his storm-damaged plane in a war zone
The pilot finds himself caught between several militia groups who are planning to take over the plane and take its passengers hostage.
Filming was originally slated to begin in Malaysia last month, though COVID-19 spikes halted that plan.
They also looked at filming in the Dominican Republic before cases there started to climb as well.
Militia: The pilot finds himself caught between several militia groups who are planning to take over the plane and take its passengers hostage