Tom Hanks & Rita Wilson Test Positive For Coronavirus As Outbreak Hits ‘Elvis Presley’ Film

Anthony D'Alessandro
Updated ·4 min read

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EXCLUSIVE: We have just received word that Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson have tested positive for the coronavirus. Both are down in Australia for the pre-production of Baz Luhrmann’s untitled Elvis Presley film from Warner Bros. The two-time Oscar winner Hanks is set to play Presley’s longtime manager Colonel Tom Parker in the project.

In a statement, the studio said it became aware that someone in the production was diagnosed with coronavirus, and it is working with Australian health agencies to make sure that the production is safe.

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Deadline received a statement directly from Hanks:

“Hello, folks. Rita and I are down here in Australia. We felt a bit tired, like we had colds, and some body aches. Rita had some chills that came and went. Slight fevers too. To play things right, as is needed in the world right now, we were tested for the Coronavirus, and were found to be positive.

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Well, now. What to do next? The Medical Officials have protocols that must be followed. We Hanks’ will be tested, observed, and isolated for as long as public health and safety requires. Not much more to it than a one-day-at-a-time approach, no?

We’ll keep the world posted and updated.

Take care of yourselves!”

– Tom Hanks

Warner Bros. had this full statement:

“We have been made aware that a company member from our Elvis feature film, which is currently in pre-production in The Gold Coast, Australia, has tested positive for COVID-19 (coronavirus).

We are working closely with the appropriate Australian health agencies to identify and contact anyone who may have come in direct contact with the individual. The health and safety of our company members is always our top priority, and we are taking precautions to protect everyone who works on our productions around the world.

The individual who tested positive for COVID-19 is currently receiving treatment.”

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Warner Bros.’ untitled Elvis Presley movie is scheduled to open on Oct. 1, 2021. That date is a long way off, however, Hanks has a film that’s opening much sooner on the schedule: Sony’s Greyhound which just got moved to Father’s Day weekend, June 12 from its May 8 release last week. Hanks also has two more movies scheduled for 2020: Amblin/Universal’s sci-fi movie BIOS and Uni’s News of the World on Dec. 25, both shot in New Mexico.

Hanks was recently lauded with the Cecil B. DeMille award at the Golden Globes, and earned his sixth Oscar nomination for playing Mister Rogers in Sony/TriStar’s A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood in the supporting actor category.

It was just a matter of time before someone famous would test positive for the coronavirus, but who better than the beloved Tom Hanks to demystify this affliction.

Hanks confirmed the news on his social media after Deadline broke the story:

View this post on Instagram

Hello, folks. Rita and I are down here in Australia. We felt a bit tired, like we had colds, and some body aches. Rita had some chills that came and went. Slight fevers too. To play things right, as is needed in the world right now, we were tested for the Coronavirus, and were found to be positive. Well, now. What to do next? The Medical Officials have protocols that must be followed. We Hanks’ will be tested, observed, and isolated for as long as public health and safety requires. Not much more to it than a one-day-at-a-time approach, no? We’ll keep the world posted and updated. Take care of yourselves! Hanx!

A post shared by Tom Hanks (@tomhanks) on Mar 11, 2020 at 6:08pm PDT

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