As the coronavirus continues to spread in the U.S., companies, schools and universities have taken precautions to slow the spread of the disease.
Hollywood has followed suit by canceling large gatherings, including the world premiere of Little Fires Everywhere slated for Thursday, Deadline reports. The Hulu limited series stars Kerry Washington and Reese Witherspoon, who both also executive produced the drama based on Celeste Ng’s bestselling book of the same name. Washington and Witherspoon were expected to attend the Los Angeles premiere Thursday night.
Earlier this week, other studio premieres went ahead as planned, including Sony’s Bloodshot and Disney’s Mulan, however, Hulu decided to cancel their event after some attendees expressed serious concerns.
Ahead of the premiere, Hulu sent an email to guests explaining their decision to cancel the premiere.
“As you are all aware, the current state of affairs has altered the daily lives of many people, including our cast and crew,” the streaming service wrote Wednesday in an email. “After hearing from many of you, and out of an abundance of caution, we are canceling tomorrow’s Little Fires Everywhere premiere screening and celebration.”
The email went on to say that Hulu is “proud of this series” and looks forward to the Little Fires Everywhere debut next week on March 18.
Little Fires examines the weight of secrets and the false belief that following the rules allows people to avoid devastating disasters. Washington’s Mila Warren is a mother running from the truth in Shaker Heights, Ohio, while Lexi Underwood plays her onscreen daughter Pearl. Anika Noni Rose and Joshua Jackson also star in the series.
Hulu is not the only company to the plug on events. After a Utah Jazz player tested positive for coronavirus, the NBA promptly suspended the season until further notice. Other major gatherings are cancelled too, including SXSW, Disney+’s launch and Facebook’s F8 developer conference. Coachella has been postponed until October.
On Wednesday, the World Health Organization deemed coronavirus a pandemic, with more than 120,000 confirmed cases worldwide.