Movie-making is a complicated process, and sometimes just one of the actors suffering a big enough injury is enough to hit the pause button on the entire production. We saw that happen last year when Tom Cruise broke his ankle while performing a stunt for Mission: Impossible - Fallout, but more recently, Blake Lively injured her hand while shooting an action scene her upcoming action movie, The Rhythm Section. Initially only believed to be a temporary delay, word has now come in that The Rhythm Section's production has been suspended indefinitely due to Lively requiring more time for her hand to heal.
Blake Lively hurt her hand in early December during The Rhythm Section's shoot in Ireland, and after the actress' first hand surgery didn't go as planned, sources who spoke with THR say that now she'll need to go in for a second surgery. Because this will extend Lively's recovery time, that's led to The Rhythm Section's production being shut down until further notice, and crews have been told to look for other work. While it's unclear when filming will resume, one source claims that just under half of The Rhythm Section has been shot, while another source said that it may be another five months before the cameras start rolling again.
This is certainly a big setback for The Rhythm Section, as what was originally supposed to be a delay lasting a few weeks could now potentially last until the early summer, if not longer. The Rhythm Section has a production budget of approximately $50 million, though it's possible that could be raised when filming begins again in order to ensure that the movie is properly finished. One can imagine that whenever production does starts back up, it will be difficult for everyone, from leading lady Blake Lively to the rest of the cast and crew, to get back into the swing of things after so much time away.
Based off the first Stephanie Patrick novel written by Mark Burnell, The Rhythm Section, which is being directed by The Handmaid Tale's Reed Morano, will follow Blake Lively's Stephanie as uncovers the truth behind her family's death on a plane crash (a flight she was supposed to be on) and hunts down those who were responsible for the tragedy. The supporting cast includes Jude Law, Daniel Mays, Raza Jaffrey and Tawfeek Barhom. Should The Rhythm Section be successful, no doubt the companies behind the movie, EON Productions and Global Road, will bring Lively back to lead a sequel or two based on other books in Burnell's series.
Initially expected to be released in theaters on February 22, 2019, it's unclear if this new production suspension will result in The Rhythm Section being pushed further down the calendar. Stay tuned to CinemaBlend for more updates about the movie, and in the meantime, you can find out what's heading to theaters this year by looking through our 2018 release schedule.
