Hurricane Sandy, the hybrid weather system nicknamed Frankenstorm, has already scared New York City’s entertainment industry into a large number of pre-emptive show and production cancellations.
New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced that the city’s subway system would shut down at 7 pm EST on Sunday evening, and some residents have started to evacuate their homes. As such, the day’s slate of live shows has largely been wiped out: Louis C.K. has postponed two standup concerts, rescheduled for March 2nd; Broadway and Off-Broadway shows that have canceled Sunday or Monday evening performances include Chicago, The Phantom of the Opera, Mary Poppins, The Lion King and Evita; and singer Brandi Carlile has suspended Beacon Theater concerts that were scheduled for Sunday and Monday evenings.
Mayor Bloomberg also suspended all outdoor shooting permits in NYC until further notice. This affects several big network show schedules, including CBS dramas Blue Bloods, Elementary, Person of Interest, and The Good Wife, according to CBS Studios, as well as The Carrie Diaries and Gossip Girl on The CW. Production at Brooklyn’s Steiner Studios has also been halted for Monday, meaning The Following will freeze, as well.
Movie theaters also are closing early on Sunday because of the transportation shut down. All AMC locations in New York City are closing their doors by 3 p.m.
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Looking further, Focus Features has suspended the New York City premiere of its Oscar hopeful, Anna Karenina, which was set for Tuesday night in Union Square. Director Joe Wright and star Keira Knightley were set to attend, and the distributor is working to reschedule for another evening.
Monday’s New York screening of the Denzel Washington starrer Flight has also been grounded. And Universal cancelled its Monday screening of The Man With the Iron Fist. But perhaps in a nod to the macho Navy SEALS, the Weinstein Co. and National Geographic are staying the course with their Tuesday premiere of SEAL Team Six: The Raid on Osama bin Laden.
Jimmy Kimmel will not allow the storm to get in the way of his homecoming. Jimmy Kimmel Live!, set to bring in guests such as David Letterman and Jon Stewart/Stephen Colbert for its week-long stay at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, will use backup generators in the event of a power outage, and is flying in extra staff and crew to prepare of any emergencies.
Jimmy Fallon tweeted Sunday evening that “We will be doing a new show tomorrow night no matter what.” Letterman will also produce a new show.
TV news organizations are in disaster protocol, meaning only essential regular broadcast personnel are expected to report to work. ABC (which includes WABC) is putting some folks in Manhattan hotels and providing shuttle service for employees.
The indie film After the Fall, which stars David Duchovny, Hope Davis and Timothy Hutton, and is currently in production in Greenwich, Connecticut, has shut down production on a temporary basis.
“We have decided to cancel tomorrow as all indications are that the storm will hit us in some capacity and I cannot put any of my crew or actors in harms way,” producer Anthony Mastromauro told THR. “We will evaluate on a daily basis on whether we will need to cancel any additional days.”
Similarly, Warner Bros. has delayed the start of production on the Akiva Goldsman-helmed drama Winter’s Tale as a precaution. The film, which had been scheduled to kick off Monday in New York, is now scheduled to start on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, the New York Stock Exchange’s trading floor will be closed Monday, marking its first weather-related closure in 27 years. Trading will move to the NYSE Arca exchange.
The trading floor of the Nymex commodities exchange also will be closed and instead take place on an electronic platform.
