Will Smith’s efforts to make his production company back up and running have suffered a setback after a group of staff members tested positive for the coronavirus.
Westbrook Inc. executives have confirmed that 10 Los Angeles-based employees were diagnosed with COVID-19 last week.
The outbreak has caused filming on one of their projects to shut down.
However, spokespersons for the company stopped short of identifying the project in question and claimed all affected staffers have since tested negative – although the difference in results within just a few days raise questions about the validity of the tests used.
“We received 10 positive tests and the crew members quarantined and remain in quarantine,” they told Variety.
“All 10 people undergo retest and have received negative results,”
They reassured fans that the company was taking the matter seriously, noting:
“We will continue to follow all official guidelines and safety protocols.”
Smith runs Westbrook Inc. with his wife, actress Jada Pinkett Smith. It serves as the parent firm for the action man’s film production company, Overbrook Entertainment,
through which the Independence Day star is developing King Richard, a biopic in which he will portray Richard Williams, the father of tennis superstars Venus and Serena Williams.
