Coronavirus on TV and movies: no more sex scenes, hand-to-hand combat

Well, coronavirus is coming in like a wrecking ball in a bigger way than we thought -- where if it's not causing havoc worldwide through social distancing, quarantines, lockdowns, deaths, industries shuttered and businesses closed -- some permanent.

Yeah, it's not enough -- now it's time for social distancing to have its effect on what we're all sitting at home doing right now: binging TV series after TV series and movie after movie. Warner Bros. Television presidents Susan Rovner and Brett Paul recently held a conference call to talk about the studio and its future production in the weeks post-coronavirus shutdowns.

Variety spoke with a "source familiar with what was said on the call", with the site reporting that coronavirus and its social distancing impacting production from feeding the cast and crew of TV and movies, through to sex scenes and hand-to-hand combat.

The WB presidents were "mostly speaking hypoteetically" in the words of Variety, which seems to see coronavirus changing television and movies, forever. The new changes might see love scenes eliminated, and fight scenes requiring stunt doubles because they'd be breaching social distancing rules.

How would love scenes change exactly?

Well, Rovner explained that "we believe we're going to need a plan for limited physical contact between actors" and that "intimate scenes may need to be reimagined or even reconceived".

What about fight scenes?

So it seems close-up stunts will be heavily impacted from coronavirus and social distancing rules, with Paul saying that stunts that are "hand to hand, face to face, requiring physical contact" like most fight scenes will be completely cut. Larger stunts that are -- get this -- 6 feet away "may still be OK".

Rovner said that the narrative impact from these new changes will be huge, adding: "Now we want to be really clear, no one is dictating that the Flash should now talk down bad guys from his bedroom via Zoom. That would be a terrible, terrible episode of 'The Flash,' But we are saying there are going to be very real challenges ahead, and it is not business as usual".

I'm a gigantic TV and movie lover, and this concerns me greatly. Not the sex scenes so much, but the fight scenes. Man-oh-man, I love incredibly complex and beautifully choreographed (and shot) fight scenes. I was looking forward to seeing where the Wachowskis were going to take The Matrix 4 -- but now it seems it'll be a pillow fight... at a distance, of course.

What will Neo say in The Matrix 4?

• Neo: "I know kung fu..."
• Morpheus: "Show me... but do it over there, I don't want coronavirus".

You can read the entire story and how it will impact Hollywood, here.

Also, while I've got you here -- if someone from Warner Bros. is listening can you #ReleaseTheSnyderCut of Justice League, call it Zack Snyder's Justice League, have Henry Cavill (Superman) announce it and donate the proceeds of its release to suicide prevention in honor of Zack's daughter who took her own life during the production of Justice League.

Last updated: May 4, 2020 at 01:10 pm CDT