Deadline broke the news last week and then followed up with an in-depth look at preparations for filming Season Two of War of the Worlds during the Time of Coronavirus:

Fox Networks Group and Canal+’s contemporary reimagining of H.G Wells’ classic story is returning for an eight-part second season and, as previously revealed by Deadline, will go into production from next Monday in Newport, Wales.

StudioCanal-backed Urban Myth Films had long aimed for a mid-July shoot and, thanks to some meticulous planning, it has not been blown off course by the pandemic.

Not your normal, every-day set!

Two-meter social distancing must be observed by all, regardless of what armbands people are wearing. There is an exception to this rule, however, which allows actors to get close to one another when it is “dramatically necessary,” according to Capps. Any such interactions will be closely observed by the first assistant director and the Covid coordinator, and it’s only possible because the cast and the green crew are quarantined and will be subject to regular testing. Deadline understands that they have already been tested twice — 14 and seven days prior to the shoot — and will be screened for a third time on Saturday before the clapper boards are cracked open. Positive tests mean two weeks of self-isolation.

We do not have confirmation of Gabriel’s participation in this project yet, but everyone seems 99% certain that he will be returning.

Den of Geek UK says:

Cast-wise, we can expect to see the return of Gabriel Byrne, Daisy Edgar Jones, Léa Drucker, Natasha Little, Stéphane Caillard, Adel Bencherif, Ty Tennant, Stephen Campbell Moore, Bayo Gbadamosi, Aaron Heffernan and Emilie de Preissac.

Richard Clark is back to direct Episodes 1 – 4 of Season 2. He reported for duty TODAY:

This shoot is going to be a challenge but, as Urban Myth Films producer Johnny Capps notes:

…the thematics of War Of The Worlds has made their life easier. “Fortunately, we are a show which is in a world where there aren’t that many people around. There are things that work for us creatively,” he explained. “War Of The Worlds is all about man’s humanity and what you do in an extreme crisis. That’s what I’ve found really interesting about the pandemic and the way people are behaving. Season 2 will touch even more nerves because of what we’ve been through as a country and as a world.”

We wish everyone involved in this project the best of luck in tackling this demanding work.

Stay tuned for updates as they become available. I do not think we will be seeing many selfies of Gabriel out and about during this shoot. I hope he gets out for a good walk now and then, though–with or without friends. wink