Reed Morano was directing the movie that is now shutting down.
The Blake Lively-fronted spy feature The Rhythm Section is being shut down.
Sources tell The Hollywood Reporter that production has been suspended, with crews being told to find other work, while Lively recuperates from a hand injury.
The actress sustained the injury while doing a stunt on the Dublin set in December. At the time, production was temporarily suspended while she took time to heal. However, sources close to the situation now tell THR that Lively's initial hand surgery did not go as planned and the actress must undergo a second surgery and will need more time to recover.
It is currently unclear when filming will recommence. One insider said that just under half the movie has been shot, while another source said it could be five months before the production resumes.
The spy thriller, which has a production budget around $50 million, is being produced by Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli of EON Productions, the company behind the James Bond franchise. Global Road (formerly known as IM Global) is financing.
The Rhythm Section is an adaptation of the first of Mark Burnell’s Stephanie Patrick novels, which follows a woman (Lively) that seeks to uncover the truth behind a plane crash that killed her family — a flight that she was meant to be on.
The Handmaid's Tale director Reed Morano is helming the feature, which also stars Jude Law. In a Jan. 5 interview with THR, Morano said, "[Lively's] okay. She's just recovering. The problem is that normally, that kind of an injury, you would have four to six weeks of rehab and then you would wear a splint. We have to go into stunts, so it's very complicated."
Paramount, which is handling worldwide distribution, has dated The Rhythm Section for a Feb. 22, 2019, release. It is unclear if that date will stand.
The producers on Monday confirmed the shutdown in a statement: "Hiatus on the production of The Rhythm Section has been extended due to the hand injury Blake Lively sustained while filming an action sequence on the action thriller at the end of last year."
Right. Red and hearts for Valentine's day? As Miranda Presley would say, 'groundbreaking'!
