Netflix Pauses Production on ‘The Harder They Fall’ Following Positive COVID Test

Netflix has paused shooting on “The Harder They Fall” after a member of the production tested positive for COVID-19, Variety has learned.

The Western, which stars Idris Elba and Regina King, was roughly five weeks into shooting in New Mexico. No members of the primary cast tested positive, according to an insider. Production is expected to resume next week though it’s unclear what day cameras will start rolling again. It’s also unclear if the cast or crew member who tested positive was symptomatic. Shooting stopped late Thursday and remained shut down on Friday.

“The Harder They Fall” also features Jonathan Majors, Zazie Beetz, LaKeith Stanfield, and Delroy Lindo. Jeymes Samuel directs from a script he co-wrote with Boaz Yakin.

A spokesperson for Netflix declined to comment for this report.

Elba was one of the first celebrities to go public with a coronavirus diagnosis. In March, Elba announced that he and his wife, Sabrina Dhowre Elba, had been diagnosed with COVID-19.

“The Harder They Fall” centers on an outlaw who discovers that the man who killed his parents has been released from prison. He assembles a gang to help him as he embarks on a quest for revenge.

Hollywood has committed a great deal of resources to figuring out ways to safely resume production during the pandemic. Major films such as “Jurassic World: Dominion” and “The Matrix 4” have all resumed shooting in recent months. There have been setbacks along the way. “The Batman” had to shut down filming for nearly two weeks in September after its star, Robert Pattinson, contracted coronavirus. It has since resumed shooting.

“The Harder They Fall” is the first project to go into production in New Mexico since COVID-19 cases started to rise last spring.