Earlier this month, The Hollywood Reporter confirmed that producer Lucas Foster (Ford v Ferrari, Morbius) and director Kurt Wimmer (Equilibrium) have been quietly shooting their Children of the Corn remake on the outskirts of Sydney, Australia, despite lockdown laws issued across the country on March 23. Foster was reportedly able to secure an “exemption to the general quarantine rules” by working closely with the state film board, Screen NSW, as well as Safework NSW to design protocols for the production.
Screen NSW issued a statement that the Children of the Corn production has “significantly reduced its cast and crew size and is implementing health and safety protocols in line with government restrictions for workplaces…and is keeping local police informed on their operation.”
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According to the Daily Mail, police were called to the set last month over claims that the crew were ignoring government-mandated distancing laws ordered to prevent the spread of COVID-19. The outlet shared that Foster denied going against the social distancing rules as the crew filmed on the outskirts of Sydney, saying, “Our crew appear closer together than they actually are.”
Foster clarified that he had been given permission to shoot the film as long as he abided by the strict NSW regulations. Foster issued the following statement to Daily Mail Australia: “We have worked tirelessly to reconfigure the shooting schedule and implement a host of health and safety measures, which have been reviewed by Safe Work NSW to ensure compliance. The news media are using extreme telephoto lenses, which gives the false impression that our crew appear closer together than they actually are. As a workplace, we want to keep people employed as long as we can safely, as the Government has implored businesses to do. As soon as we can no longer keep our cast and crew safe, we will, of course, pause production.”
A spokesperson for Screen NSW said in a statement: “The production provided Screen NSW with confirmation of compliant COVID-19 health and safety workplace protocols, and is keeping local police informed on their operation.”
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The 1984 Children of the Corn feature adaptation of Stephen King’s short story of the same name was directed by Fritz Kiersch and written by George Goldsmith. The movie starred Linda Hamilton and Peter Horton, and earned $14.6 million at the box office. The movie centered on a young couple who become trapped in a remote town where a dangerous religious cult of children believe that everyone over the age of 18 must be killed.
