Disney Is Moving To Retain and Furlough Crew Working On ‘The Little Mermaid’
As we mentioned earlier here at MickeyBlog, the live-action version of The Little Mermaid was one of the productions that was impacted by the worldwide spread of the COVID-19 virus. With that in mind, a report this afternoon in Deadline suggests that Disney is working to retain and furlough crew members after serving them termination notices.
It is thought that the studio will implement that Job Retention scheme on offer allow the workers to continue to receive up to 80% of their salary up to a minimum of £2500 ($3100) per month.
According to reports Jeff Silver (Executive Producer) and Russell Allen (Unit Production Manager) reached out to production staff saying that they will rescind the previous termination notices sent out on March 20th. The furlough they are proposing will last until the end of May unless shooting can resume earlier.
This move is consistent with news released by the UK government that all staff who were laid off after February 28th will be eligible for state-backed furlough if they are rehired by their employers.
As we previously reported here at MickeyBlog, The Little Mermaid will be the next Disney film to get the live-action treatment for Disney and is being directed by Rob Marshall. Cast members include Halle Bailey, Awkwafina, Javier Bardemm, Jonah Hauer-King and Melissa McCarthy.
The Little Mermaid was just one of several films that Disney has had to shelve due to COVID-19. Other projects include Doctor Strange In The Multiverse of Madness as will as WandaVision and Loki for Disney+
As a cost-cutting measure, Disney also announced this week that they would be scaling back the pay of high-level staff during the outbreak. Chairman Bob Iger made the decision to forgo his salary and new CEO Bob Chapek took a 50% pay cut.
Bectu a UK union supporting workers in the film industry released a statement praising Disney for the move, “Bectu welcomes Disney’s decision to furlough crew until the end of May when the government has said the JRS will run until. Disney is taking its responsibilities as an employer seriously and this is model behaviour that the rest of the industry should be looking to follow.”
Readers are encouraged to keep following along with MickeyBlog for the latest news on this and other Disney projects!
Start planning for 2021 now! Fill out our form below and MickeyTravels will reach out with your FREE, no-obligation quote as soon as rates are made available.
Find articles like this helpful? Then why not consider working with an Authorized Disney Vacation Planner? As an agent with MickeyTravels, I’ll be on hand to assist you with everything from finding your perfect package to helping you plan lots of special touches to make your visit truly magical. Best of all my services are absolutely FREE. Get in touch at 1.800.801.4025 via email at mroden@mickeytravels.com or follow along on Facebook
Source: Deadline
