Production on Amazon’s The Lord of the Rings series has stopped in the wake of disruption caused by the Covid-19 coronavirus, reports The New Zealand Herald. According to The New Zealand Herald’s source a memo sent to the cast and crew of the Auckland-based project stated “there are no clear answers to when we will resume production.” “In an abundance of caution, UAP [Untitled Amazon Project] has suspended production for the next two (2) weeks commencing Monday, March 16,” said the alleged memo. “This is done in an environment where travel restrictions directed at the control of Covid-19 are issued daily by New Zealand and most other countries.” [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=amazons-the-lord-of-the-rings-every-confirmed-actor&captions=true"] Amazon recently revealed the first group of performers who will take part in Amazon’s The Lord of the Rings series, which includes Robert Aramayo, Owain Arthur, Nazanin Boniadi, Tom Budge, Morfydd Clark, Ismael Cruz Córdova, Ema Horvath, Markella Kavenagh, Joseph Mawle, Tyroe Muhafidin, Sophia Nomvete, Megan Richards, Dylan Smith, Charlie Vickers, and Daniel Weyman. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/11/19/lord-of-the-rings-series-gets-early-season-2-renewal-from-amazon-ign-now"] Amazon’s The Lord of the Rings doesn’t have a firm release date yet, but it has already been renewed for a second season. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Luke is Games Editor at IGN's Sydney office. You can find him on Twitter every few days @MrLukeReilly.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has ordered all NYC movie theaters to close due to the threat of the global coronavirus pandemic. The decree, which will go into effect Tuesday, March 17 at 9:00 AM ET, was posted by de Blasio on Twitter. “This is not a decision I make lightly,” wrote de Blasio. “These places are part of the heart and soul of our city. They are part of what it means to be a New Yorker. But our city is facing an unprecedented threat, and we must respond with a wartime mentality.” The order includes nightclubs, movie theaters, small theater houses, and concert venues; all must close. Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti has also issued instructions for all LA entertainment venues to close until March 31, unless extended. The NYC and LA cinema closures follow similar shutdowns across Europe, including cinemas in Italy, Poland, Denmark, Norway, Greece, Spain, and France. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=every-delayed-movie-due-to-coronavirus-so-far&captions=true"] The news follows the lowest US box office weekend in 20 years and a string of movie delays, including Mulan, No Time to Die, The New Mutants, and Fast 9. The European box office is also expected to take a big hit due to COVID-19. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/03/13/how-coronavirus-delays-are-impacting-2020-movies-ign-now"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] Luke is Games Editor at IGN's Sydney office. You can find him on Twitter every few days @MrLukeReilly.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has ordered all NYC movie theaters to close due to the threat of the global coronavirus pandemic. The decree, which will go into effect Tuesday, March 17 at 9:00 AM ET, was posted by de Blasio on Twitter. “This is not a decision I make lightly,” wrote de Blasio. “These places are part of the heart and soul of our city. They are part of what it means to be a New Yorker. But our city is facing an unprecedented threat, and we must respond with a wartime mentality.” The order includes nightclubs, movie theaters, small theater houses, and concert venues; all must close. Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti has also issued instructions for all LA entertainment venues to close until March 31, unless extended. The NYC and LA cinema closures follow similar shutdowns across Europe, including cinemas in Italy, Poland, Denmark, Norway, Greece, Spain, and France. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=every-delayed-movie-due-to-coronavirus-so-far&captions=true"] The news follows the lowest US box office weekend in 20 years and a string of movie delays, including Mulan, No Time to Die, The New Mutants, and Fast 9. The European box office is also expected to take a big hit due to COVID-19. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/03/13/how-coronavirus-delays-are-impacting-2020-movies-ign-now"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] Luke is Games Editor at IGN's Sydney office. You can find him on Twitter every few days @MrLukeReilly.

The first story expansion for Control, IGN’s 2019 Game of the Year, is set to be released on March 26 and we have the exclusive first trailer and details for the upcoming DLC. The Foundation expansion will take Federal Bureau of Control chief Jesse Faden deep underground to the bedrock of the Oldest House.

You can watch the first full trailer for The Foundation expansion below. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/03/16/control-the-foundation-expansion-exclusive-reveal-trailer"] Keeping in line with Control’s mysterious atmosphere, the developers at Remedy refrained from divulging too much about the expansion’s plot. We do know the expansion will take place after the events of the main game, when Jesse gets a call from the board alerting her of a disturbance that’s causing the Oldest House’s subterranean level, the Foundation, to go haywire. The bureau’s Head of Operations Helen Marshall will also figure prominently into the expansion after she mysteriously went off on her own during the main storyline. Control game director Mikael Kasurinen described the expansion as "an opportunity for [Remedy] to take the open-ended nature of the environments even further. The new area that you get to access is filled with mystery, discovery and player-driven exploration. As is the way of Control, it is embedded with symbolism. Exploring the foundation of the Oldest House is also about exploring the very foundation of Jesse herself. Who is she as the director and where does she need to from here?... Jesse will be tested unlike ever before." Aside from the new storyline, there is a brand new skill in the expansion called “Shape” which is split into two forms: “Create” and “Fracture.” This new ability is integral to the expansion not only because it’s a new combat ability, but you’ll need to use it to solve puzzles called “Rituals.” “One of the main pillars of Control is the ability to experiment and use the environment to your advantage in combat,” Remedy senior game designer Sergey Mohov told IGN in an interview. “[Shape] is another aspect of that. It is one of the supernatural abilities you get in the game and in a way it’s a more direct way of affecting the environment because you actually make things grow out of the wall or a floor, and use them to either pierce through enemies or make a platform for yourself.” [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=control-the-foundation-exclusive-screenshots&captions=true"] One of Control’s highlights is the supernatural power fantasy Jesse’s abilities afford the players, and Remedy says it wants to intensify that feeling in the expansion. The environment in The Foundation is more open in a way that allows players to explore Jesse’s full powers. “Having these high ceilings and big arenas to unleash your power is a big part of the power fantasy in Control. When you’re contained in a room with a small ceiling you’re not really encouraged to levitate that much. Whereas if you’re in an open arena you will more of that. We wanted to encourage more of that aggressive gameplay style in the expansion,” Mohov said. Remedy communications director Thomas Puha added that it was “important to try and make the environment feel different enough from the main game… Expansions are things where you can go even more left-field, embrace the weirdness even more.” Another important design decision for the new expansion was to make things more open-ended and nonlinear, which allows players to explore freely and discover some secrets. “That’s the thing I’m most excited about in the expansion,” Mohov said. “It’s been really fun seeing how the community responded to our level design choices and how people reacted to having these big side missions in the main game where you have optional boss fights that people didn’t expect to find… So we wanted to integrate it more into our level design and make it really matter whether you go left or right.” [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=control-e3-2019-screenshots&captions=true"] We asked whether this meant there would be secrets in the expansion and against Puha’s caution, Mohov told IGN, “Absolutely. Some crazy ones.” There are a few secrets the Remedy developers have bets on to see how long it will take players to find. “There’s some alcohol at stake,” Mohov joked. Courtney Hope, who voices Jesse Faden, told IGN that she "can't wait to see the response from everyone as we dive deeper into the Oldest House and all of its secrets! Fleshing out Jesse's abilities, even more, is beyond exciting and how they're used to help strengthen her role as Director." The Foundation expansion will be available to Control season pass holders and can only be accessed after completing the main game. But anyone who owns Control will receive a free update with a bevy of quality-of-life improvements that Remedy says should address some of the feedback players have had with the main game. The main map has been improved, and the skill tree has been expanded upon, and there’s been some tinkering with underused abilities. Players will also be able to reallocate ability points using Essence. The Foundation expansion for Control will be released on March 26 for PS4 and Epic Games Store, and June 25 on Xbox One. Read IGN’s Control review here or our Control wiki for walkthroughs and tips. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt Kim is a reporter for IGN. You can reach him on Twitter.

The first story expansion for Control, IGN’s 2019 Game of the Year, is set to be released on March 26 and we have the exclusive first trailer and details for the upcoming DLC. The Foundation expansion will take Federal Bureau of Control chief Jesse Faden deep underground to the bedrock of the Oldest House.

You can watch the first full trailer for The Foundation expansion below. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/03/16/control-the-foundation-expansion-exclusive-reveal-trailer"] Keeping in line with Control’s mysterious atmosphere, the developers at Remedy refrained from divulging too much about the expansion’s plot. We do know the expansion will take place after the events of the main game, when Jesse gets a call from the board alerting her of a disturbance that’s causing the Oldest House’s subterranean level, the Foundation, to go haywire. The bureau’s Head of Operations Helen Marshall will also figure prominently into the expansion after she mysteriously went off on her own during the main storyline. Control game director Mikael Kasurinen described the expansion as "an opportunity for [Remedy] to take the open-ended nature of the environments even further. The new area that you get to access is filled with mystery, discovery and player-driven exploration. As is the way of Control, it is embedded with symbolism. Exploring the foundation of the Oldest House is also about exploring the very foundation of Jesse herself. Who is she as the director and where does she need to from here?... Jesse will be tested unlike ever before." Aside from the new storyline, there is a brand new skill in the expansion called “Shape” which is split into two forms: “Create” and “Fracture.” This new ability is integral to the expansion not only because it’s a new combat ability, but you’ll need to use it to solve puzzles called “Rituals.” “One of the main pillars of Control is the ability to experiment and use the environment to your advantage in combat,” Remedy senior game designer Sergey Mohov told IGN in an interview. “[Shape] is another aspect of that. It is one of the supernatural abilities you get in the game and in a way it’s a more direct way of affecting the environment because you actually make things grow out of the wall or a floor, and use them to either pierce through enemies or make a platform for yourself.” [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=control-the-foundation-exclusive-screenshots&captions=true"] One of Control’s highlights is the supernatural power fantasy Jesse’s abilities afford the players, and Remedy says it wants to intensify that feeling in the expansion. The environment in The Foundation is more open in a way that allows players to explore Jesse’s full powers. “Having these high ceilings and big arenas to unleash your power is a big part of the power fantasy in Control. When you’re contained in a room with a small ceiling you’re not really encouraged to levitate that much. Whereas if you’re in an open arena you will more of that. We wanted to encourage more of that aggressive gameplay style in the expansion,” Mohov said. Remedy communications director Thomas Puha added that it was “important to try and make the environment feel different enough from the main game… Expansions are things where you can go even more left-field, embrace the weirdness even more.” Another important design decision for the new expansion was to make things more open-ended and nonlinear, which allows players to explore freely and discover some secrets. “That’s the thing I’m most excited about in the expansion,” Mohov said. “It’s been really fun seeing how the community responded to our level design choices and how people reacted to having these big side missions in the main game where you have optional boss fights that people didn’t expect to find… So we wanted to integrate it more into our level design and make it really matter whether you go left or right.” [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=control-e3-2019-screenshots&captions=true"] We asked whether this meant there would be secrets in the expansion and against Puha’s caution, Mohov told IGN, “Absolutely. Some crazy ones.” There are a few secrets the Remedy developers have bets on to see how long it will take players to find. “There’s some alcohol at stake,” Mohov joked. Courtney Hope, who voices Jesse Faden, told IGN that she "can't wait to see the response from everyone as we dive deeper into the Oldest House and all of its secrets! Fleshing out Jesse's abilities, even more, is beyond exciting and how they're used to help strengthen her role as Director." The Foundation expansion will be available to Control season pass holders and can only be accessed after completing the main game. But anyone who owns Control will receive a free update with a bevy of quality-of-life improvements that Remedy says should address some of the feedback players have had with the main game. The main map has been improved, and the skill tree has been expanded upon, and there’s been some tinkering with underused abilities. Players will also be able to reallocate ability points using Essence. The Foundation expansion for Control will be released on March 26 for PS4 and Epic Games Store, and June 25 on Xbox One. Read IGN’s Control review here or our Control wiki for walkthroughs and tips. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt Kim is a reporter for IGN. You can reach him on Twitter.

With folks practicing "social distancing" and "self-quarantine," many are now looking for TV shows and movies to distract themselves. While some people and publications have streaming/binging recommendations -- like James Gunn's 10 favorite underrated films to our own list of feel-good movies -- companies like Disney are releasing movies to digital early - like Frozen 2 and Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. With that in mind, a Marvel's Agents of SHIELD fan on Twitter suggested the Disney drop Season 7, the show's final 13-episode run, which is due out this summer, early for those staying indoors to binge. Here's the original tweet...

I’m just saying @abc, since we are all in self-quarantine, maybe you could drop us the final season of Agents of Shield a little early. Can’t hurt to ask! @clarkgregg @chloebennet @MingNa @YOSOYCORDOVA pic.twitter.com/LoZUHQrE9Y

— Chris Panico (@chris_panico) March 14, 2020

The tweet's tagging of SHIELD stars Clark Gregg, Chloe Bennet and Ming-Na Wen resulted in both Gregg and Bennet retweeting the message to their hordes of followers, showing support for idea of a Season 7 early release. All final episodes are finished as the series wrapped production of its seventh season back in July of 2019, just a few days after it was announced that Season 7 would be the show's last. Meanwhile, Disney has announced that it will temporarily shut down production on all of its upcoming Disney+ Marvel shows and films amid COVID-19 concerns. Disney has also shut down both Disney World and Disneyland in an attempt to prevent further spread of COVID-19. This is only the fourth time in history that Disneyland has been closed. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/03/14/westworld-season-3-episode-1-review"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt Fowler is a writer for IGN and a member of the Television Critics Association. Follow him on Twitter at @TheMattFowler and Facebook at Facebook.com/MattBFowler.

With folks practicing "social distancing" and "self-quarantine," many are now looking for TV shows and movies to distract themselves. While some people and publications have streaming/binging recommendations -- like James Gunn's 10 favorite underrated films to our own list of feel-good movies -- companies like Disney are releasing movies to digital early - like Frozen 2 and Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. With that in mind, a Marvel's Agents of SHIELD fan on Twitter suggested the Disney drop Season 7, the show's final 13-episode run, which is due out this summer, early for those staying indoors to binge. Here's the original tweet...

I’m just saying @abc, since we are all in self-quarantine, maybe you could drop us the final season of Agents of Shield a little early. Can’t hurt to ask! @clarkgregg @chloebennet @MingNa @YOSOYCORDOVA pic.twitter.com/LoZUHQrE9Y

— Chris Panico (@chris_panico) March 14, 2020

The tweet's tagging of SHIELD stars Clark Gregg, Chloe Bennet and Ming-Na Wen resulted in both Gregg and Bennet retweeting the message to their hordes of followers, showing support for idea of a Season 7 early release. All final episodes are finished as the series wrapped production of its seventh season back in July of 2019, just a few days after it was announced that Season 7 would be the show's last. Meanwhile, Disney has announced that it will temporarily shut down production on all of its upcoming Disney+ Marvel shows and films amid COVID-19 concerns. Disney has also shut down both Disney World and Disneyland in an attempt to prevent further spread of COVID-19. This is only the fourth time in history that Disneyland has been closed. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/03/14/westworld-season-3-episode-1-review"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt Fowler is a writer for IGN and a member of the Television Critics Association. Follow him on Twitter at @TheMattFowler and Facebook at Facebook.com/MattBFowler.

Unsurprisingly, not many folks ventured out to the multiplex this weekend amid coronavirus concerns, so the box office took a huge hit, falling to its lowest reporting in two decades (per Variety). With only a $55.3 million take between Friday and Sunday, Onward topped the charts as the only film to earn over $10 million. Paramount's A Quiet Place II was originally scheduled to release this weekend, but it, like many other films, has been pushed back. New films that weren't delayed, which did open this weekend, included The Hunt, Bloodshot, and faith-based flick I Still Believe. They all placed in the Top 5, with I Still Believe and Bloodshot earning close to what Onward made. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-best-movies-on-disney&captions=true"] Most theater chains, including AMC and Regal, have taken measures to reduce crowding by capping their auditorium ticket sales at 50%, therefore limiting the amount of people who can attend a single showing. The last time box office hauls were this low was back in September of 2000 when the weekend take was only $54.5 million.

North American Box Office Estimates

Our review of Bloodshot, starring Vin Diesel and Guy Pearce, notes that it "overcomes a slew of cliches and an awful opening 20 minutes to prove a mostly fun Vin Diesel flick." Our review of The Hunt, from Watchmen's Damon Lindelof, hails the satire for holding "a darkly comic mirror up to our political divisions in a bloody fun way." Here are the Top 10 North American box office estimates for the weekend (via Box Office Mojo)

• 1. Onward $10,532,000
• 2. I Still Believe $9,500,000
• 3. Bloodshot $9,300,000
• 4. The Invisible Man $6,000,000
• 5. The Hunt $5,320,000
• 6. Sonic the Hedgehog $2,575,000
• 7. The Way Back $2,415,000
• 8. The Call of the Wild $2,241,000
• 9. Emma $1,370,000
• 10 Bad Boys for Life $1,100,000

[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/01/14/bloodshot-trailer-2"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt Fowler is a writer for IGN and a member of the Television Critics Association. Follow him on Twitter at @TheMattFowler and Facebook at Facebook.com/MattBFowler.

Unsurprisingly, not many folks ventured out to the multiplex this weekend amid coronavirus concerns, so the box office took a huge hit, falling to its lowest reporting in two decades (per Variety). With only a $55.3 million take between Friday and Sunday, Onward topped the charts as the only film to earn over $10 million. Paramount's A Quiet Place II was originally scheduled to release this weekend, but it, like many other films, has been pushed back. New films that weren't delayed, which did open this weekend, included The Hunt, Bloodshot, and faith-based flick I Still Believe. They all placed in the Top 5, with I Still Believe and Bloodshot earning close to what Onward made. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-best-movies-on-disney&captions=true"] Most theater chains, including AMC and Regal, have taken measures to reduce crowding by capping their auditorium ticket sales at 50%, therefore limiting the amount of people who can attend a single showing. The last time box office hauls were this low was back in September of 2000 when the weekend take was only $54.5 million.

North American Box Office Estimates

Our review of Bloodshot, starring Vin Diesel and Guy Pearce, notes that it "overcomes a slew of cliches and an awful opening 20 minutes to prove a mostly fun Vin Diesel flick." Our review of The Hunt, from Watchmen's Damon Lindelof, hails the satire for holding "a darkly comic mirror up to our political divisions in a bloody fun way." Here are the Top 10 North American box office estimates for the weekend (via Box Office Mojo)

• 1. Onward $10,532,000
• 2. I Still Believe $9,500,000
• 3. Bloodshot $9,300,000
• 4. The Invisible Man $6,000,000
• 5. The Hunt $5,320,000
• 6. Sonic the Hedgehog $2,575,000
• 7. The Way Back $2,415,000
• 8. The Call of the Wild $2,241,000
• 9. Emma $1,370,000
• 10 Bad Boys for Life $1,100,000

[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/01/14/bloodshot-trailer-2"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt Fowler is a writer for IGN and a member of the Television Critics Association. Follow him on Twitter at @TheMattFowler and Facebook at Facebook.com/MattBFowler.

Not even COVID-19 can stop the animated sports stars of Space Jam 2, apparently, and now it appears they’ve got an animation mainstay among their ranks. Tony Bancroft, known for directing the 1998 Mulan film among other major animation credits, has tweeted out that he’s working on Space Jam 2 as an animator.

I just started working on the lot at Warner Bros studio in January. Now working from home. Just one more Looney chapter in the making of Space Jam 2. Have Cintiq will travel. #animationyeah #wag #spacejam #looneytunes #coronavirus pic.twitter.com/hxj48FMAn9

— Tony Bancroft (@pumbaaguy1) March 14, 2020

“I just started working on the lot at Warner Bros studio in January,” Bancroft tweeted Saturday. “Now working from home. Just one more Looney chapter in the making of Space Jam 2. Have Cintiq will travel.” Bancroft’s other credits include being an animator on the original Aladdin, The Lion King, Beauty and the Beast, Hunchback of Notre Dame, and The Emperor’s New Groove. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=every-delayed-movie-due-to-coronavirus-so-far&captions=true"]

Space Jam 2 is scheduled to release on July 16, 2021, and will star NBA legend Lebron James, despite original Space Jam star Michael Jordan’s desire to see someone else take over the role.

Space Jam 2 is also being produced by Black Panther director Ryan Coogler, and will actually be directed by Justin Lin, who directed four of the Fast and the Furious films.

Warner Bros. hasn’t made any statement on whether or not Space Jam 2’s production is delayed due to the COVID-19 outbreak. With the film still a year off, it remains to be seen if it’s effected in any way. That said, Bancroft does say he’s working from home, like many others across the globe.

[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/03/27/star-trek-discoverys-sonequa-martin-green-joins-space-jam"]

Hopefully, Space Jam 2 will be able to avoid any serious delays. Meanwhile, here’s every movie and show that’s been delayed because of COVID-19.

What do you think of the Mulan director being involved in a key role on Space Jam 2? Let us know in the comments below.

[poilib element="accentDivider"] Joseph Knoop is a writer/producer/Monstar for IGN.