Hollywood stars Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard and Sam Neill won’t be travelling to Malta later this month to shoot the third installment of the Jurassic World franchise.

The movie will also be scaling back its production in Malta from a first unit crew to a second unit following a spike of COVID-19 cases on the island, according to entertainment magazine Variety.

“Jurassic World: Dominion will have a significant presence in Malta with a second unit crew shooting there from the end of August through to September,” a Universal spokesperson told online entertainment magazine Deadline.

“Working with an abundance of caution as we have done throughout this production, first unit will no longer shoot in Malta to keep our presence on the ground to a minimum. We’d like to thank the Maltese Government and Film Commission for all their support and we look forward to a successful shoot in this beautiful country.”

Last week, four crew members of the Jurassic World production tested positive for COVID-19 in Malta despite heightened health measures which included onset testing hubs.

Jurassic World: Dominion marks the third chapter in the franchise and will feature Pratt and Dallas Howard along with the film’s original cast Sam Neill, Laura Dern and Jeff Goldblum amongst many others.

It was rumoured that in the film, Malta will feature as itself and not a stand-in for another country, which is a rare nod to the island in the film world.

The multi-million production was to be shot in Valletta, Vittoriosa, Mellieħa and Pembroke.

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