Coronavirus pushes James Bond film ‘No Time to Die’ to fall

Not even James Bond dares goes up against the coronavirus.

The studios behind the new 007 film “No Time to Die” announced Wednesday that its scheduled April release is being postponed until fall.

A statement by the film’s distributors — Eon, MGM and Universal — said the decision was based on “thorough evaluation of the global theatrical marketplace.” The Bond movie now is scheduled to open in England on Nov. 12, with the United States and other countries receiving the film on Nov. 25, just before Thanksgiving.

Concerns had already been brewing around the imminent release and the global outbreak. Publicity plans in China, Japan and South Korea had previously been canceled. 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 canceling 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.”

Contributing: Associated Press