United Artists Releasing is dropping the curtain on the Los Angeles premiere of Cyrano.
The Joe Wright-directed musical was scheduled to be celebrated with a red carpet event at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences Museum in Los Angeles on Thursday, but the distributor confirmed today that it is postponing that event “out of an abundance of caution given the changing COVID landscape.” No new date has been given for the premiere that was to host Wright, screenwriter Erica Schmidt and castmembers Peter Dinklage, Haley Bennett and Kelvin Harrison Jr., among others.
Deadline is reporting that the move comes after someone in the Cyrano inner circle was exposed to the virus, hence the abundance of caution. The report also cites a pivot in all in-person Cyrano events in the coming days, including Wright backing out of a planned American Cinematheque tribute and other castmembers switching appearances to virtual. A person involved with the film confirmed the report to The Hollywood Reporter.
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In lieu of the premiere, a screening will go on as planned at which “all COVID protocols will be followed including proof of vaccination [and] proof of negative test within 48 hours of the screening.” Furthermore, masks will be required during the screening except when eating or drinking.
The news comes amid rising concerns over the omicron variant and a renewed mask mandate in Los Angeles County for large-scale gatherings. Many Hollywood events have pivoted in recent days to not only require proof of a COVID-19 vaccination, but a negative test on top of that, for admittance. And while there are concerns, there has been a flurry of year-end premieres, parties and holiday gatherings in recent weeks (including a jam-packed Spider-Man: No Way Home world premiere) as Hollywood prepares for a quieter time during the Christmas and New Year’s holidays.
Cyrano, which premiered at the Telluride Film Festival, is scheduled to be released Jan. 21. It has been in the news already this week after snagging Golden Globe nominations for best picture (comedy or musical) and for Peter Dinklage in the lead actor (comedy or musical) category.
