Devastating fire in California stopped Hollywood: dozens of productions halted and premieres and ceremonies postponed.
California is burning like never before. According to the most recent data presented by , the fires that broke out at the beginning of this week have already caused at least 10 deaddestroyed 10 thousand structures, burned more than 35,000 hectares and could even become those of the United States.
On social media, even the iconic Hollywood sign is seen on fire. Despite the images being fake, generated with the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI), Hollywood is, one could metaphorically say, “on fire” once again.
Stopped due to the Covid-19 pandemic and then several, there are now multiple forest fires are affecting Hollywood films, series and eventswith major studios announcing the interruption of recordings due to the impacts of the fire. There have been pauses even in cases where locations are not in directly affected areas, either due to poor air quality or so actors and crews could return home to reunite with their families.
What productions were interrupted?
NBC Universal has halted production on the series Hacks, Loot, Ted, Suits: LA and Happy’s Place; CBS suspended production on NCIS, NCIS: Origins, The Neighborhood, Poppa’s House, After Midnight and The Price is Right; on the ABC network, Grey’s Anatomy, Doctor Odyssey and the recording of the talk show Jimmy Kimmel Live were affected.
Amazon Studios reported that the start of production on the second season of Fallout, initially scheduled for Wednesday, January 10, has also been postponed.
At Warner Bros., recordings of Abbott Elementary, All-American and The Pitt, as well as other titles at different points of production, were affected. The Warner Bros. studio in Burbank, on the outskirts of Los Angeles, was closed due to its proximity to areas affected by the fires.
FilmLA, the agency that coordinates permits for filming at locations across the city, said in a statement Wednesday that “the Los Angeles County Fire Department specifically instructed that all permits issued for filming in the communities of Altadena, La Crescenta, La Cañada/Flintridge and Pasadena be revoked“.
“With deepest appreciation for the efforts of local firefighters, police officers and paramedics at this difficult time, we inform the production community that human resources normally available to support film production may not be available during the local state of emergency,” he added.
The agency also warned that other permits may be revoked and noted that, as per the decision of the Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation, all permits for events in parks, including filming, have been canceled.
“This suspension will be maintained until Tuesday, January 14, 2025”, says the statement.
Premieres and ceremonies postponed
In addition to the interruption in recording, the fires also caused the postponement or cancellation of several premieres scheduled for theaters in Los Angeles, including the films Wolf Man, Unstoppable, The Last Showgirl and Better Man.
In the midst of awards season, just months before the Oscars in March, Los Angeles has a number of important film industry events scheduled for this month. The fires have already caused changes in that calendar.
The announcement of the nominees for the Oscarsscheduled for January 17th, was postponed to the 19th. The voting deadline for members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, responsible for the awards, was also extended by two days, until January 14th.
“We want to extend our deepest condolences to those affected by the devastating wildfires in Southern California,” Academy CEO Bill Kramer said in a letter sent to members. “Many of our members and industry colleagues live and work in the Los Angeles area, and we are thinking of you all,” Kramer added.
Os Critics Choice Awards have been postponed from Sunday, January 12th, to the 26th.
“This tragedy has already had a profound impact on our community,” said the CEO of the association responsible for the award, Joey Berlin. “All of our thoughts and prayers are with those fighting the devastating fires and with everyone affected,” Berlin said in a statement.
The annual event of BAFTA (British Academy of Film and Television Arts), also scheduled for the weekend, was canceled.
The annual awards luncheon American Film Institute (American Film Institute), scheduled for Friday, January 10, was postponedstill without a new date.
The announcement of nominations for Writers Guild Awardsgranted by the Screenwriters Union, was postponed for Monday, January 13th.
Os Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards canceled the live broadcast of the nominations announcement and decided to announce the nominees through a press release.
Several tourist attractions linked to the entertainment industry were also temporarily closed, including Warner Bros. Studio Tour Hollywood and Universal Studios Hollywood theme park.
On X (formerly Twitter), Universal Studios said it continues to evaluate the situation: “as always, the safety of our team members and our guests is our highest priority.”
Many famous areas and places in Los Angeles, such as Sunset Boulevard, Hollywood Boulevard, the Walk of Fame and the Dolby Theater, where the Oscars are held, are close to the areas affected by the fires.
Celebrities lose luxury homes
Several Hollywood stars have been forced to leave their homes due to the fires, which began on Tuesday, January 7, and have already put almost 180 thousand residents of the region under mandatory evacuation orders.
Billy Crystal, John Goodman, Paris Hilton, Adam Brody e Leighton Meester are among the celebrities who lost their homes.
The actor and director Mel Gibson said the house he lived in for more than a decade was on fire while the actor was giving an interview on The Joe Rogan Experience podcast.
Jennifer Aniston, Bradley Cooper, Tom Hanks, Reese Witherspoon, Adam Sandler and Michael Keaton also have homes in Pacific Palisades.
Allison Dinner / EPA
Fire in
Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles
