The makers of the forthcoming James Bond thriller, No Time to Die, say the film’s release has been delayed for a second time until the fall of 2021.
They said that its further delay has been caused by the effects of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, AP reported.
The official 007 Twitter account said, late on Thursday, that the 25th instalment in the franchise will now open on 8 October.
Originally slated to open in April 2020, the opening of No Time to Die was pushed back to November of that year, as the pandemic swept around the world. It was then delayed again to 2 April 2021. The film from director Cary Joji Fukunaga stars Daniel Craig as 007, alongside Egyptian-American actor Rami Malek, and Lashana Lynch and Ana de Armas.
It is one of a slew of major film releases to be pushed back or moved to streaming services, as Hollywood studios grapple with coronavirus-related restrictions that have shuttered cinemas around the world.
While mass-vaccination programmes against the coronavirus in many countries give hope that theatres can reopen in the near future, progress on immunisation is slow.
After the latest Bond delay was announced, Sony said it was pushing back several of its scheduled spring releases. It said Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway was moving from April to June, Ghostbusters: Afterlife was delayed from June to November, and Cinderella, starring singer Camila Cabello, will now arrive in July rather than February.
