Blockbuster Disney production lobbying over COVID-19 protocols

The production company creating a remake of 1940s noir film Nightmare Alley has registered three consultant lobbyists to petition the government about “travel and quarantine requirements on Canadian film sets” as it seeks to resume filming in coming months. Tyrone Productions Inc. began filming Nightmare Alley, directed by Shape of Water director Guillermo del Toro and starring Bradley Cooper, Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara, in Toronto last year. Walt Disney Co. announced on Mar. 13 it had paused filming for a number of movies due to COVID-19, including Nightmare Alley. In its release it said there were no confirmed COVID-19 cases on the productions but made the decision to pause given “the current environment and the best interests of our cast and crew,” and said it would aim to restart filming as soon as feasible. Del Toro told IndieWire on July 1 that he first approached Disney to cease filming, and said his intention was to resume filming for Nightmare Alley in the fall. “Fingers crossed. You never know,” del Toro told IndieWire, adding he had developed an 80-page safety document for the production to ensure it adhered to safety protocols when filming did resume. Three consultant lobbyists from Global Public Affairs registered to lobby on behalf of the company this month, listing Shape of Water producer J. Miles Dale as their principal representative. Agencies the consultants intend to lobby include the Canada Border Services Agency, Canadian Heritage, Global Affairs Canada, Health Canada and Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. Global Public Affairs lobbyist Sean Casey did not respond to requests for comment about the lobbying efforts, or what exact measures Tyrone Productions were seeking. In other new registrations, Xplornet Communications Inc. registered a new consultant lobbyist, Marie Lemieux, and Shaw Communications Inc. added Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Development Canada to its list of agencies it intends to lobby. Meanwhile, Elon Musk’s Space Exploration Technologies Company’s consultant lobbyist Bruce Hartley filed a communications monitoring report that he met with Natural Resources Minister Seamus O’Reagan’s policy advisor, Emerson Vandenberg, on July 10. Hartley’s registration, which mirrors that of newly added consultant lobbyist Robert Evershed, says he will lobby about “Satellite and ground station policies and regulations in relation to an application for a Foreign Satellite Authorization (FSA) and broadband service.” Quebecor Inc. CEO Pierre Karl Péladeau also added a communication report showing he met with Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada’s director of parliamentary affairs Michael Power on July 15.

Blockbuster Disney production lobbying over COVID-19 protocols

Broadcast | July 21, 2020

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Blockbuster Disney production lobbying over COVID-19 protocols

Broadcast | July 21, 2020

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