The coronavirus pandemic started in late 2019, spreading to the U.S. in early 2020, and as of 2022 it is still affecting Hollywood — and the rest of the world.
In both 2020 and 2021 many events, including the Tokyo Olympics, were postponed, canceled or delayed amid the ups and downs of the worldwide pandemic. An uptick in COVID-19 cases in December 2021 and January 2022 led to another wave of Hollywood halts, stopping work on TV shows, Broadway musicals and more.
Hugh Jackman, who plays Professor Harold Hill in the 2022 run of The Music Man in New York City, tested positive for the virus after the Christmas holiday. His positive diagnosis came just days after his costar Sutton Foster, who plays Marian Paroo, missed a preview performance of their musical following her own positive COVID test.
“My symptoms are, like, a cold. I have a scratchy throat and bit of a runny nose. But I’m fine,” the Australia native said in a video via his Instagram on December 28, 2021. “I’m just going to do everything I can to get better ASAP. As soon as I’m cleared, I’ll be back on stage and headed to River City.”
Jackman’s end of the year health scare resulted in The Music Man postponing the rest of his holiday preview performances in hopes of returning to the stage on January 2. The Winter Garden Theatre, however, later announced that the show would not resume until January 6 following the continued spread of the coronavirus.
Sundance Film Festival announced on January 5 that it would no longer be hosting in-person events for the event, which was set to run from January 20-30. The iconic festival opted to take all of their showings and press events virtual this year as the Omicron variant surged.
“Despite the most ambitious protocols, the Omicron variant with its unexpectedly high transmissibility rates is pushing the limits of health safety, travel and other infrastructures across the country,” organizers said in a statement at the time. “The festival’s in-person Utah elements will be moving online this year. While we’re disappointed to not provide the full hybrid experience and gather in-person as intended, audiences this year will still experience the magic and energy of our festival.”
TV shows were not immune to the post-holiday rise in COVID-19 cases. Grey’s Anatomy chose to push back its return to production from January 10 to January 12. CBS’ NCIS: Los Angeles, on the other hand, delayed production from January to a later date in February.
Scroll down to see every event, show, movie and more that were affected by COVID-19 delays in 2022: