Love Island may have been cancelled for the remainder of 2020 just days ago – but already plans are afoot to revive the show for it to air before the year is out.
ITV bosses are said to be weighing up options to shoot the hit reality romance show later this year after coronavirus lockdown procedures scuppered initial plans to air the series this summer.
An autumn edition of the show could be on the cards instead, with a Spanish Island different to the traditional setting of Majorca being lined up as a possible location.
Potential contestants who had already been approached to feature in the summer edition have been asked to remain single by show bosses who hope the ongoing global health crisis could be controlled enough come September to safely film a seventh season of the smash show.
A source told The Sun on Sunday: “The location is up in the air, as Majorca would maybe be a bit chilly by September/October, but the Canary Islands could be possible.
“Casting was well under way for the summer season and producers don’t want to lose some of the gems they had hand-picked.
“The winter series lacked a few standout characters, so they had been careful to find reality TV wannabes with looks as well as brains and personality.”
The chance of the show going ahead later than anticipated over not at all could offer hope to some of the prospective 2020 contestants who were livid earlier this month when their chance at fame was snatched away.
On Tuesday a show source expressed the concerns of the dashed hopefuls, saying: "Potential wannabes who were being lined up to become islanders have been left absolutely gutted.
"There’s a chance they could be heading into the winter series, but that’s a long way off. It’s a dream for some of them so there have been plenty of angry phone calls."
While it was only one day earlier that ITV made the decision to axe Love Island 2020 completely due to the risks posed by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
International travel and intimate relations are both effectively banned under present conditions – and it is unclear exactly when social distance rules and lockdown measures will be lifted as the pandemic shows no real sign of ending.
A show source declared on Monday: ""We have tried every which way to make Love Island this summer but logistically it's just not possible to produce it in a way that safeguards the wellbeing of everyone involved and that for us is the priority."
