Eon Productions’ ‘The Rhythm Section’ is being suspended indefinitely following the injury of Blake Lively while filming in Ireland at the end of last year. Production was temporarily halted back in December after Lively sustained an injury to her hand while performing a stunt in Dublin.
It is unclear when the production looks set to resume with no date made clear and crew being encouraged to seek other work while Lively recovers. Sources close to The Hollywood Reporter have stated that surgery on the injured hand Blake Lively did not go as planned and a further operation must take place, which in turn has delayed the return of the actress to the Irish set.
‘The Rhythm Section’ is an adaptation of Mark Burnell’s spy thriller, which follows protagonist Stephanie Patrick (Blake Lively), seeking to uncover the truth behind a plane crash that killed her family, and that she herself was meant to be on. The Eon production (‘James Bond’ Franchise) is set to have a budget of $50 million, and is being produced by Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson, with funding coming from Global Road.
The producers issued a statement on Monday saying:
"Hiatus on the production of The Rhythm Section has been extended due to the hand injury Blake Lively sustained while filming an action sequence on the action thriller at the end of last year."
The film, which stars Jude Law and is also being directed by Reed Morano (‘The Handmaid’s Tale’) is said to be less than halfway through its shoot in Ireland.
Speaking about the injury earlier this month, Director Reed Morano said:
"[Lively's] okay. She's just recovering. The problem is that normally, that kind of an injury, you would have four to six weeks of rehab and then you would wear a splint. We have to go into stunts, so it's very complicated."
An initial release date of February 22nd, 2019 was announced for the film by Paramount Pictures who are handling worldwide distribution on the film.