The release date for James Bond film No Time To Die has been postponed amid global concern around the spread of coronavirus.
The film was due to be released in April, but Bond producers Michael G Wilson and Barbara Broccoli and film studios MGM and Universal have said that “after careful consideration and thorough evaluation of the global theatrical marketplace”, it will now be released in November.
It will be released in UK cinemas on November 12, and in the US on November 25.
The news was announced via the film’s official Twitter account.
The world premiere for No Time To Die was scheduled to take place on March 31 at the Royal Albert Hall in London.
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. pic.twitter.com/a9h1RP5OKd
— James Bond (@007) March 4, 2020
The announcement comes after fans wrote an open letter asking for the release of the film to be delayed due to concerns about the spreading of the illness.
The fan site MI6-HQ wrote: “With the coronavirus reaching pandemic status, it is time to put public health above marketing release schedules and the cost of cancelling publicity events.”
The 25th film in the franchise, it will mark Daniel Craig’s fifth and final time as the spy.
The film also stars Lea Seydoux, Rami Malek, Lashana Lynch and Ana De Armas and is directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga, with a script co-written by Fleabag creator Phoebe Waller-Bridge.
No Time To Die finds Bond after he has left active service and is enjoying a tranquil life in Jamaica when his old friend Felix Leiter, played by Jeffrey Wright, from the CIA turns up asking for help.
A mission to rescue a kidnapped scientist turns out to be far more treacherous than expected, leading to a mysterious villain armed with dangerous new technology.
No Time To Die is the latest casualty of the concern surrounding the spread of coronavirus.
BTS and Stormzy have already postponed shows in Asia because of the illness and Google has cancelled its annual developer conference in California due to ongoing concerns.
Disney scrapped planned press events in London for the launch of its streaming service Disney + amid fears over the outbreak, while technology trade shows Mobile World Congress in Barcelona and the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco have been called off, and Facebook has cancelled the in-person aspect of its own developer conference, which had been due to take place in California in May.