Hollywood superstar Tom Hanks and his wife Rita Wilson announced that they have tested positive for the novel coronavirus while filming in Australia.

Hanks and Wilson, both 63, sought medical advice after experiencing symptoms of a cold in Queensland, the BBC quoted the actor as saying in an Instagram post on Thursday.

Hanks wrote on Instagram: "We felt a bit tired, like we had colds, and some body aches. Rita had some chills that come and went. Slight fevers too.

"To play things right, as is needed in the world right now, we were tested for the Coronavirus, and were found to be positive."

He said they would keep the world "posted and updated".

"We Hanks' will be tested, observed, and isolated for as long as public health and safety requires. Not much more to it than a one-day-at-a-time approach, no?"

The couple will now spend time in isolation, he added.

They had been on the Gold Coast, where Hanks was working on a film about the life of Elvis Presley.

According to the Guardian newspaper, the cast and crew attached to the film received an email early Thursday morning instructing them to stay away from the set after a member of the production tested positive for the virus.

In a statement the US production company behind the film, Warner Bros, said that it was "taking precautions" to protect its employees.

According to the New York Times, production on Baz Luhrmann film, which currently does not yet have a title, was set to begin on Monday.

Warner Bros added that it spans "over 20 years, from Presley's rise to fame to his unprecedented stardom, against the backdrop of the evolving cultural landscape and the loss of innocence in America".