“We’re really only considering those who are vaccinated,” one prolific producer tells The Hollywood Reporter about COVID requirements for features they’re working on. Another producer, gearing up for a big studio production, concurs: “We will not engage with anyone who is not vaccinated.” But enforcement will be key as studios ensure that workers, from talent to crew, show proof.

“Nobody wants an Aaron Rodgers situation,” says the studio producer of the NFL star who flouted COVID-19 guidelines before testing positive for the virus. (Rodgers’ fiancee, Shailene Woodley, has not publicly disclosed her vaccination status. She is in production on Showtime’s Three Women. A Showtime rep says the series has a Zone A vaccine mandate, indicating Woodley is vaccinated.)

In turn, news has leaked of stars exiting projects they had been set to topline. Ice Cube, for one, departed Sony’s comedy Oh Hell No after declining a request from producers to get vaccinated, thus forgoing a $9 million payday. Veteran General Hospital star Ingo Rademacher was let go after not complying with a vaccine mandate.