While most film and television productions have shut down completely during the COVID-19 pandemic, Variety has caught word of one genre project that was able to continue filming and wrap production while most other casts and crews were in self-isolation. That project is a World War II fantasy horror film called WARHUNT.
Directed by Mauro Borrelli, WARHUNT stars Mickey Rourke, Robert Knepper, and Jackson Rathbone in the story of
an elite squad of American soldiers on a secret mission during World War II. Trapped behind enemy lines in Germany’s Black Forest, the men are confronted by a coven of witches.
WARHUNT was filmed in Riga, the capital of Latvia, and was able to continue filming until completion by following government guidelines. "These included (the crew) having to don facemasks and gloves, having their temperature taken twice a day, social distancing, and disinfecting equipment."
Rourke's shoot days had to be rescheduled because Latvia was closing its borders, so he had to fly to the country early to beat the closure.
Producer Yu-Fai Suen told Variety,
There were additional procedures on set, but it quickly became the norm and everyone got on with it. For makeup, each actor had a dedicated kit so makeup artists used only the same brushes, makeup etc. on the same actor. All makeup artists, of course, wore facemasks when applying makeup."
Borrelli says the cast and crew quickly adjusted to the safety precautions and "ended up even more focused and efficient". The Latvian government has given Suen the go-ahead to continue working on more productions as long as the same guidelines are followed. So maybe these will serve as an example for productions in other countries when they get back underway.
WARHUNT was also produced by Julie Zaytseva of Forma Pro Films and Adel Nur of Atomik Content.
Borrelli describes his film as a "wild ride with powerful images; but also a great metaphor about war and its evil, told with powerful iconic characters."