No Time to Die, the latest James Bond film, delayed until November in response to coronavirus

No Time to Die, the 25th installment of the James Bond franchise, is pushing back its planned theatrical release date in response to the novel coronavirus outbreak. Originally scheduled to premiere in April, the film will now skip the spring and summer entirely and come to theaters on November 12th in the UK and on the 25th in the United States.

As noted by The Hollywood Reporter, MGM had already canceled publicity tours and other events for No Time to Die as the spread of COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, began to take hold. MGM, alongside Bond producers Michael Wilson and Barbara Broccoli, said the decision to postpone the release altogether came “after careful consideration and thorough evaluation of the global theatrical marketplace.”

No Time to Die becomes the first major Hollywood flick to be pushed back as countries and scientists work to slow the transmission of the novel coronavirus. A Bond fan blog, MI-6 HQ, recently published an open letter — “No Time for Indecision” — requesting that the film’s release be delayed. “The health and well-being of fans around the world, and their families, is more important,” the site wrote, also noting that moving forward with an April release could be disastrous for box office performance. Movie theaters in countries heavily stricken by outbreaks have been temporarily closed.

Other high-profile upcoming theatrical releases include Disney’s Mulan later this month, with Black Widow and F9 both following in May, so MGM might not be alone in switching up plans in the interest of keeping audiences safe. Over 90,000 cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed globally, with over 3,000 deaths resulting from the disease.