Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson Have Coronavirus

Tom Hanks has tested positive for coronavirus. The actor confirmed that he and wife Rita Wilson became ill while on location in Australia’s Gold Coast region during filming on Baz Luhrmann’s forthcoming Elvis Presley movie, set to be released by Warner Bros in October, 2021.

In the film, Luhrmann’s first feature since 2013’s The Great Gatsby, Hanks stars as Colonel Tom Parker alongside Maggie Gyllenhaal, Rufus Sewell and Olivia DeJonge.

The news was posted across Hanks’ official social media accounts, as Deadline broke the story:

“Hello, folks. Rita and I are down here in Australia. We felt a bit tired, like we had colds, and some body aches. Rita had some chills that came and went. Slight fevers too. To play things right, as is needed in the world right now, we were tested for the Coronavirus, and were found to be positive.

Well, now. What to do next? The Medical Officials have protocols that must be followed. We Hanks’ will be tested, observed, and isolated for as long as public health and safety requires. Not much more to it than a one-day-at-a-time approach, no?

We’ll keep the world posted and updated.

Take care of yourselves!”

– Hanx

Production on the movie has been nixed for now. Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate confirmed that “all the people who were on set have gone home and self-quarantined.”

Warner Bros added that it was “working closely with the appropriate Australian health agencies to identify and contact anyone” Hanks may have come into contact with.

Hanks and Wilson’s sons took to social media to calm fears that the couple were in a bad way. Rapper Chet posted a video saying that they weren’t “trippin” about the situation, and that he didn’t think it was anything “to be too worried about.”

“I just got off the phone with them. They both are fine. They’re not even that sick. They’re not worried about it,” he explained, adding that he appreciated “everyone’s concern and the well wishes. I think it’s all going to be alright.”

The eldest of the Hanks sons, Colin, also posted a statement on Twitter:

“We are so grateful for the outpouring of support from everyone. My parents are receiving excellent care in Australia and doing well (and in good spirits) given the circumstances. Despite the fact I’m in L.A. and haven’t seen them in over three weeks, we have been in constant contact and am confident that they will make a full recovery.”

Colin, who recently completed a four-season run in CBS drama series Life In Pieces, has been posting a lot about the coronavirus in recent days, and not holding back his frustration with the White House’s response to the pandemic. He also tweeted his own tongue-in-cheek personal outlook yesterday, writing “The bonus of navigating this pilot season during the global coronavirus pandemic is not having to shake everyone’s hands before auditions. The downside? Worrying about pilot season during the global coronavirus pandemic.”

Coronavirus (COVID-19) has now led to 4,600 deaths globally, with more than 100,000 people becoming infected. Governments worldwide are starting to propose their own measures to tackle the outbreak as the situation develops rapidly.