Mickey Rourke WWII Horror Movie ‘Warhunt’ Wraps After Filming During Pandemic in Latvia

Ryan Lattanzio
·2 min read

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Though production around the world has shut down amid the ongoing global health crisis, one movie has, against all odds, wrapped shooting. Starring Mickey Rourke, the World War II fantasy film “Warhunt” has, according to Variety, finished production while filming in Riga, the capital of Latvia, where cast and crew were allowed to continue working under strict guidelines.

According to the report, the filmmakers and cast had to wear face masks and gloves, have their temperature taken twice a day, and abide by social-distancing and hygiene guidelines in Latvia, where the current number of confirmed COVID-19 cases is 812 as of Sunday. The country has seen only 12 deaths so far, along with more than 260 recoveries.

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Rourke agreed to work on “Warhunt” and adjust his schedule despite growing health concerns. “We had to rearrange the schedule for Mickey Rourke as the country was closing its borders, and luckily he agreed to fly early to beat the closure, and we rescheduled his shoot days to accommodate this change,” producer Yu-Fai Suen told Variety.

Some of the creative ways the crew adapted to changes dictated by the coronavirus included designated makeup kits for each actor. “For makeup, each actor had a dedicated kit so makeup artists used only the same brushes, makeup etc. on the same actor. All makeup artists, of course, wore facemasks when applying makeup,” Suen said. Suen also said that the Latvian government will allow productions to continue under such limitations.

“Warhunt” director Mauro Borrelli, who previously helmed 2017’s “The Recall,” said, “It was surreal at the beginning, but the cast and crew quickly adjusted to the masks and other precautions, so we ended up even more focused and efficient.”

“Warhunt” also stars Robert Knepper of “Prison Break” and Jackson Rathbone of “Twilight” in a fantasy horror movie about a group of American soldiers who, during World War II, encounter a coven of witches in Germany’s Black Forest.

Borrelli’s 30-plus years of previous credits include work in the art department as an illustrator on “Dumbo,” “Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi,” “The Hateful Eight,” and “Captain America: The First Avenger.”

Rourke reportedly finished his scenes for “Warhunt” and left Latvia at the end of March.

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