Tom Hanks in Australia for filming Elvis biopic after it was halted due to his COVID-19 illness

Tom Hanks has returned to Australia to resume filming for Elvis Presley's biopic, months after the shooting was halted when he and wife Rita Wilson were diagnosed with COVID-19 illness.

Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson famously became the first high-profile celebrities to be tested positive for novel coronavirus in March. The couple contracted the virus when they were in Queensland, Australia, for the filming of Baz Luhrmann's upcoming biopic on Elvis Presley, in which Hanks plays Col. Tom Parker, manager of the late music icon who is portrayed by Austin Butler.

The actor has returned to the sets to resume filming, months after the pre-production underway at Village Roadshow Studios in Queensland was halted when he and Wilson were hospitalised due to the illness. According to a report in Daily Mail, the 64-year-old was spotted arriving via private jet at Queensland's Coolangatta Airport on Tuesday.

In pictures obtained by the outlet, the "Forrest Gump" actor was seen exiting the jet in an Adidas tracksuit and black face mask and was then met by airport staffers outfitted in the PPE kits. His wife was not accompanying him on the trip like earlier.

The Oscar-winner was then taken to the Oracle Resort in Broadbeach, on Australia's Gold Coast, by a police escort. As per the report, the entire crew has returned to the Gold Coast where they have undergone COVID-19 test as a precautionary measure. The crew will quarantine for weeks as an extra precaution before they start filming for the high-profile biopic.

Annastacia Palaszczuk, the Premier of Queensland, was grilled in the parliament for allowing the filming after which she clarified that just like anyone else, Hanks would also be subjected to random police checks to ensure he remains in quarantine before starting his work.

In a statement in Queensland Parliament on Wednesday, Palaszczuk noted that the actor and the other crew members have entered the city under the screen industry's COVID-safe plan, saying, "Under that plan they have to stay in the place for two weeks just like everybody else and they will have random checks, as my understanding, by the police."

Palaszczuk also noted that the film will bring $100 million and 900 jobs to the Gold Coast economy.