The release of the next James Bond film has been delayed for a third time because of the coronavirus pandemic.
No Time To Die had already been pushed back twice, and will now debut globally on 8 October, an announcement on the film’s website said.
It had originally been due to hit screens in April 2020.
The film is the 25th instalment in the Bond franchise, and marks Daniel Craig’s final appearance as British secret service agent 007.
It also features Lea Seydoux and Rami Malek.
The delay will come as a further blow to cinemas that have been forced to shut for months at a time because of lockdowns.
Earlier this week, leading film-makers including Danny Boyle and Sir Steve McQueen wrote to the UK government, calling for financial support for cinema chains because “UK cinema stands on the edge of an abyss”.
Cineworld said in October, when No Time To Die was pushed back for the second time, that delays to big budget releases meant the industry was “unviable”.
Bond’s latest move sparked a flurry of other delays to major releases. Sony has pushed back Ghostbusters: Afterlife, Peter Rabbit 2, Jared Leto’s Morbius, Tom Holland’s Uncharted, and Cinderella, which will star singer Camila Cabello; while Universal has moved Tom Hanks’ Bios from April to November.
The previous Bond film, 2015’s Spectre, took almost $900m (£690m) at worldwide box offices.
A significant part of Bond film earnings come from the UK and European market, and studio MGM may be concerned that Covid restrictions could limit No Time To Die’s box office earnings.
It comes after Warner Bros this month announced it was delaying the release of Sopranos prequel The Many Saints Of Newark.
Other blockbusters affected by the pandemic include Jared Leto superhero film Morbius, sci-fi epic Dune and action sequel Top Gun: Maverick.
