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Just recently news dropped that Blumhouse might be the company that starts developing the blueprint for what feature film production could look like during the coronavirus pandemic. According to that report, the plan would be for a $6.5 million project to film on the Universal lot. A “set of safety protocols” would be in place, but that would not include the insurance necessary to cover a possible COVID-19 outbreak. It’s a risky move to say the least, but as Allie Gemmill pointed out in her original coverage of the story, it could be a risk well worth taking if Blumhouse is successfully able to set a new standard that ensures filmmakers can safely return to work.

A few days after the news broke, we got the opportunity to catch up with Jason Blum for today’s DVD, Blu-ray and 4K Ultra HD release of The Invisible Man, so opted to follow up on the matter and see if Blum could reveal any other specifics about those safety protocols. While he didn’t reveal any additional routine on-set practices that would need to change, he did stress the importance of getting all the guilds on board before letting cameras roll. Here’s what he said:

“We’re not gonna put into practice anything different than what the governor is suggesting. And I think the thing that I’m most focused on is making sure that we’re putting a plan together with all the guilds, and I want to make sure the guilds are conformable and feel good about the plan as opposed to coming up with the plan and just saying, ‘Hey this is what we’re doing. Can we get your rubber stamp of approval?’ Because they want to get their members back to work but they obviously have a ton of concerns. And so I think what we’re doing most differently on this movie is taking the guidelines from the government and then concocting a plan with our friends at all the guilds so that we do something that not just we or Universal, but that all of the people that we work with and their representatives feel positive about that and get a consensus, and it’s been going well.”

In fact, things are going so well with the endeavor that Blum was able to reveal when filming might be able to begin for this production: 

“It’s an enormous amount of work, but it’s been moving slowly but surely forward and, knock on wood - no, not for sure - but I think we’ll be able to shoot something in about six weeks.”

We’ll certainly be keeping a close eye on this one so check back for more updates on the production's status as they roll in. Also, be sure to come back tomorrow for our full conversation with Blum and Leigh Whannell about making The Invisible Man, the benefit of making a horror movie with a smaller budget, and more!