Tom Hanks and his wife Rita Wilson tested positive for the coronavirus, according to a statement posted by Hanks to social media on Wednesday evening.
“Hello, folks. Rita and I are down here in Australia. We felt a bit tired, like we had colds, and some body aches. Rita had some chills that came and went. Slight fevers too. To play things right, as is needed in the world right now, we were tested for the Coronavirus, and were found to be positive,” the 63-year-old actor wrote in a statement on Twitter.
He continued, “Well, now. What to do next? The Medical Officials have protocols that must be followed. We Hanks’ will be tested, observed, and isolated for as long as public health and safety requires. Not much more to it than a one-day-at-a-time approach, no? We’ll keep the world posted and updated. Take care of yourselves!”
Hanks and Wilson, 63, were in Australia filming an untitled Elvis Presley biopic directed by Baz Luhrmann. Hanks plays Presley’s manager Colonel Tom Parker.
Warner Bros., the studio behind the film, offered a statement to Deadline.
“We have been made aware that a company member from our Elvis feature film, which is currently in pre-production in The Gold Coast, Australia, has tested positive for COVID-19 (coronavirus).”
The statement continued, explaining that the company is working with professionals to “identify and contact” those exposed to the virus.
“The health and safety of our company members is always our top priority, and we are taking precautions to protect everyone who works on our productions around the world,” said the statement.
In the message, Warner Bros. confirmed that “the individual who tested positive for COVID-19 is currently receiving treatment.”
The news of the diagnoses came after a tumultuous few days for the entertainment industry following the COVID-19 outbreak.
Music festivals Stagecoach and Coachella have been delayed while South by Southwest [SXSW] was canceled altogether.
Similarly, the release date for “No Time to Die,” the upcoming James Bond flick, was pushed back to November.
Game shows and late-night talk shows have elected to continue filming without live studio audiences, and “Survivor” has delayed the production of its upcoming season by several months.
Popular teen drama “Riverdale” has also suspended production after “a member of the production came into contact with someone who recently tested positive,” per Variety.
The still-untitled biopic currently is slated for an October 2021 release date.