Not time for 'No Time To Die': Covid-19 pushes James Bond film back 7 months

The release of the James Bond film 'No Time To Diet' has been pushed back several months because of global concerns about the Covid-19 coronavirus.

The release of the James Bond film No Time To Die has been pushed back several months because of global concerns about the Covid-19 coronavirus.

MGM, Universal and producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli announced on Twitter Wednesday that the film would be pushed back from its April release to November 2020.

The announcement cited consideration of the global theatrical marketplace in the decision to delay the release of the film.

No Time To Die will now hit theaters in Britain on November 12 and worldwide on Nov 25.

The Bond films make a significant portion of their profits from international markets. The last film, Spectre, made over US$679mil from overseas theatres in 2015 with over US$84mil of that total coming from China. Concerns had already been brewing around the imminent release and the global outbreak. Publicity plans in China, Japan and South Korea had previously been cancelled. And on Monday, the popular James Bond fan site MI6-HQ published an open letter to the producers urging them to delay the film's rollout.

"It is time to put public health above marketing release schedules and the cost of cancelling publicity events, ” the letter said.

Hollywood film release and production schedules have already been affected by the outbreak. Last week, Paramount Pictures halted production on the seventh "Mission: Impossible” film, which had been scheduled to shoot in Venice, Italy. The studio also postponed the Chinese release of "Sonic the Hedgehog.”

The coronavirus outbreak emerged in China and has spread globally. In all, more than 94,000 people have contracted the virus worldwide, with more than 3,200 deaths. – AP

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