A Flu to a Kill: James Bond film No Time To Die delayed over coronavirus
The release date of the eagerly-anticipated new James Bond film has been pushed back seven months due to the coronavirus.
No Time To Die, which will feature Daniel Craig in his final appearance as 007, was due to be released in the UK on 2 April.
But a statement released today on the dapper spy’s official Twitter account said the release has been delayed until 12 November, while the film will be in US cinemas on 25 November.
The franchise said that studios MGM and Universal, as well as producers Michael Wilson and Barbara Broccoli, had made the decision after “careful consideration and thorough evaluation of the global theatrical marketplace”.
It comes after Bond fans called for the release to be delayed due to the outbreak of the virus.
In a open letter published earlier this week fan site MI6, which claims to be the world’s biggest unofficial Bond website, called for the release to be postponed.
“With the coronavirus reaching pandemic status, it is time to put public health above marketing release schedules and the cost of cancelling publicity events,” it said.
The world premiere of No Time to Die, which also stars Ana de Armas, Rami Malek and Ralph Fiennes, was due to take place at the Royal Albert Hall of 31 March.
It comes amid reports that the coronavirus outbreak could wipe as much as $5bn (£3.9bn) off global box office as film fans steer clear of cinemas.
Chinese cinemas are closed, while ticket sales in South Korea, Italy and Japan are all said to have been affected.
No Time To Die, which has a reported budget of $250m and features an original title song by Billie Eilish, has been beset by problems during filming.
Director Danny Boyle left the production last year citing creative differences, leading to a re-write of the script and a delay to the initial launch date of November 2019.