The coronavirus has taken top news in all fields over the past few days. Today alone, numerous films have had their release dates pushed back, some indefinitely. Notably, the next Fast and Furious film, F9, has been pushed back by almost a whole year, moving from May 22 to April 2, 2020. This new release date already had Furious 10 on the calendar, so it looks like this next film will have to be delayed as well.
Universal has stated that “this move is made with the safety of everyone as our foremost consideration. Moving will allow our global family to experience our new chapter together.”
As of March 12, the following are all films in addition to F9 that have been delayed in production or distribution due to coronavirus concerns:
- A Quiet Place 2
- Peter Rabbit 2
- No Time to Die
- Mulan
- The New Mutants
- Antlers
- Sonic The Hedgehog (In China)
- Mission Impossible 7
- Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
Film festivals SXSW and Tribeca have both also been canceled, and we’ll have just have to wait and see how that impacts acquisitions in the coming year. More delays may be announced soon, as companies are quickly adapting to the current climate and are problem solving as the coronavirus concerns grow.