The release of No Time To Die, the latest James Bond film, has been pushed back by nine months, amid the global spread of the Coronavirus. The move was made after the studio and producers conducted a “thorough evaluation of the global theatrical marketplace” – following reports that the overall Chinese box office has dropped by nearly $2 billion in recent weeks as one of the most severely affected nations in the initial outbreak.
A statement released by the official 007 social media accounts reads: “MGM, Universal and Bond producers, Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli, announced today that after careful consideration and thorough evaluation of the global theatrical marketplace, the release of NO TIME TO DIE will be postponed until November 2020. The film will be released in the U.K. on November 12, 2020 with worldwide release dates to follow, including the US launch on November 25, 2020.”
The film, which sees Daniel Craig return as 007 for the fifth and final time, was originally due to be released in UK cinemas on 2 April. Also starring in the film are Léa Seydoux, Ralph Fiennes, Ben Whishaw, Naomie Harris, Ana de Armas, Jeffrey Wright, and Lashana Lynch, with Christoph Waltz returning as Blofeld and Rami Malek entering as new villain Safin.
The news follows Disney cancelling the London press event for the launch of streaming service Disney+, which was due to take place on 5 March. “Due to a number of media attendee cancellations and increasing concerns at the prospect of traveling internationally at this time, we have decided to cancel our Disney+ launch events scheduled to take place on Thursday and Friday,” a company statement reads. Elsewhere, Amazon has pulled out of the SXSW Film Festival as the impact of the virus continues to be felt worldwide.
Stay tuned for more news on the impact of Coronavirus on the UK release schedule and the wider film industry in the coming weeks, and prepare to catch No Time To Die on 12 November.