CULTURE – The capital of American cinema in forced and forced pause. After a year 2024 marked by a historic strike in Hollywood, 2025 begins in the worst way for the American film industry, hit like part of the city of Los Angeles by ferocious fires which have been raging since Wednesday in California.
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With at least five deaths and emergency evacuations imposed on the population endangered by the flames, the situation is still critical this Thursday, January 9. Moreover, several iconic symbols of the City of Angels linked to the 7th art are now threatened: from Hollywood Boulevard and its Walk of Fame to the famous Chinese Theater and the Hollywood Bowl. Without forgetting the famous white letters which form the word “ Hollywood » on the heights of LA
Beyond the human and material consequences, the fires hitting Los Angeles have also forced the film and series industry to come to a forced halt. On almost every level.
Price season disrupted
In this risky situation in the middle of the Hollywood awards season, the 30th Critics Choice Awards ceremony was postponed on Wednesday by its organizers. It was scheduled for Sunday January 12 in Hollywood, but will finally take place on January 26, “ due to the catastrophic fires ravaging southern California ».
A first symbolic marker, given the importance of this awards season in the industry. And who says awards season, necessarily says Oscars. The most prestigious American ceremony, which generally ends this period, has also changed its plans.
Its announcement of nominations scheduled for January 17 was finally postponed to the 19th, to offer two additional days to voters to submit their choices to the Academy. On the other hand, the 97th Oscars ceremony is not moving and will indeed take place on the night of March 2 to 3.
Flames at the studio doors
If the flames have gradually taken over the cinema capital since Wednesday, certain images bear witness to the imminent danger for the studios themselves. Like the film studios of Disney, Universal or Warner Bros., threatened by a fiery sky and smoke that evokes the proximity of flames.
According to several online testimonies, the CBS Studio Center or Dreamworks studios are also threatened by the flames. Enough to force them to close their doors (public and professional) for a period that is still difficult to determine. On the Universal side, we were hoping for a “ open for business » starting this Thursday. Which should be difficult to respect.
-The main consequences of these studio closures are ultimately for the films and series currently being filmed. While many stars are evacuated from their properties, those still preserved often find themselves unemployed. As noted VarietyLos Angeles County firefighters requested the withdrawal of filming permits, particularly in the Altadena region. But several other locations in Los Angeles have suffered the same fate since Wednesday.
Many filmings suspended
Thus, NBCUniversal indicates that series like Suits LA, Hacks or Ted are suspended until further notice. On the Amazon side, season 2 of Fallout is also impacted. And its filming temporarily postponed to Friday.
Other examples include the series NCIS for CBS, Grey’s Anatomy and the famous talk show Jimmy Kimmel Live ! at Disney. At the Warner Bros. studios. the production ofAbbott Elementary is also suspended this Thursday.
On the film side, the threat is reduced, since many feature film shoots now take place outside Los Angeles. But for the few studios away from the flames, the air quality is dangerous enough to force a forced break. Furthermore, several film previews, such as those ofUnstoppable (on the life of wrestler Anthony Robles) or those of Wolfman (werewolf movie) and Better Man (biopic about singer Robbie Williams) have been canceled. The preview scheduled for this Thursday at the Chinese Theater to present the highly anticipated The Last Showgirl was also canceled. Despite the presence of Miley Cyrus, Pamela Anderson and Francis Ford Coppola’s granddaughter, Gia Coppola, director of the film.
Last telling example, that of the French duo behind the music of the film Emilia PerezCamille and Clément Ducol. Currently in LA for the film’s American campaign, they saw an evening organized by Netflix – to celebrate the compositions of Jacques Audiard’s film – go by the wayside for the same reasons.
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