Tom Hanks is perhaps the highest-profile victim of Coronavirus yet. The beloved actor revealed a few days ago that he and his wife Rita Wilson had tested positive for the virus and that they are self-isolating. The pair are currently in Australia, as Hanks was in the country shooting an as yet untitled Elvis biopic directed by Baz Luhrmann. Since they went into isolation, Tom has been posting updates for his many fans on how their recovery is going and today he shared perhaps his most distressing picture yet, showing us he’s been reduced to eating noxious obsidian-colored yeast spread Vegemite.
Australia, you’ve already given Tom Hanks a potentially deadly virus and now you’re giving him Vegemite? Hasn’t he suffered enough? Comments on the post pointed out the same thing, saying: “That’s one way to kill any Coronavirus in your system. Nothing could survive that much Vegemite,” and “He’s alive but he’s eating Vegemite so that’s worse.. pray for the guy.”
You can see the photo in question for yourself below, along with the caption it came accompanied with:
Thanks to the Helpers. Let’s take care of ourselves and each other. Hanx
But Tom Hanks falling ill has proven to be just one of the consequences Coronavirus is having for the entertainment industry. Major film and TV shoots like The Batman, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Loki, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier and Stranger Things have been shut down, high-profile releases like A Quiet Place Part II, F9, The New Mutants and Mulan have been delayed and the virus is expected to mean 2020 will see the lowest domestic box office haul in 22 years.
Obviously these stories are relatively small potatoes in comparison to the human cost of the virus, but fans of all these properties will doubtless be disappointed that they’re going to have to wait a little (and in some cases much) longer for the new installments of their favorite franchises. And beyond that, there’s the impact this virus is already having on the livelihoods of those working within the entertainment industry. When we look back, we could see 2020 as the moment the movie industry changed forever.
