JAMES BOND’S latest adventure has hit another speed bump. “No Time to Die,” the upcoming installment in the British spy series, has been postponed yet again.

The movie will now release in theaters Oct. 8. It was originally scheduled to open April 2.

It’s hardly a surprise that the Bond film has been pushed back to fall. Hollywood has been widely anticipating that “No Time to Die” would face another delay as coronavirus cases continue to skyrocket.

MGM is rolling out “No Time to Die” in North America, while Universal has international rights. Since the movie carries a massive price tag around US$200 million, it relies on substantial global ticket sales to turn a profit.

That’s nearly impossible to achieve at a time when most movie theaters are closed, and the few that remain open have been operating at a reduced capacity. Thursday’s announcement marks the film’s third delay in the last 10 months. In March of 2020, “No Time to Die” became the first tentpole to shift its release date amid the pandemic.

The latest scheduling shift for “No Time to Die” may inspire rival studios to delay any movies still set for the first few months of the year. Moments after MGM relocated Bond, Universal announced that the studio’s Bob Odenkirk-led action thriller “Nobody” was moving from Feb. 26 to April 2 and Sony redated “Peter Rabbit 2,” “Ghostbusters: Afterlife” and “Cinderella.” Meanwhile, Focus Features, the specialty studio owned by Universal, bumped Edgar Wright’s “Last Night in Soho” from April 23 back to Oct. 22. It’s also been commonly speculated that Universal’s “Fast & Furious” sequel “F9” won’t keep its May 28 release date.

Cary Joji Fukunaga directed “No Time to Die,” the 25th entry in the Bond franchise and the final go-around for star Daniel Craig.

The cast also includes Rami Malek as Bond’s adversary Safin, Lashana Lynch as a new 007 agent and Léa Seydoux as Bond’s love interest. Ana de Armas, Ben Whishaw and Christoph Waltz also star.

(SD-Agencies)