The release of No Time to Die has officially been delayed by seven months. Daniel Craig's final turn as James Bond was supposed to hit theaters in April. However, amidst the increasing spread of the coronavirus, which has already had a significant impact on the global box office, MGM, Universal Pictures and the franchise's producers have decided to delay the release until November.

This comes days after a prominent James Bond fan site, MI6-HQ, called on the powers that be to delay the release, fearing the coronavirus outbreak in major moviegoing markets around the world would impact the movie's success. It appears, be it because of that open letter or other internal discussions, that line of thinking prevailed. Here's the official statement released regarding the delay.

"MGM, Universal and Bond producers, Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli, announced today that after careful consideration and thorough evaluation of the global theatrical marketplace, the release of No Time To Die will be postponed until November 2020. The film will be released in the U.K. on November 12, 2020, with worldwide release dates to follow, including the US launch on November 25, 2020."

Bond 25 had been scheduled to roll out in April following the world premiere on March 31 in London. The premiere will now be pushed back closer to the release date, but no new date has been set. No Time to Die was set to release in North America on April 10. Posters and lots of other marketing material had been released with the April release in mind, with the marketing efforts ramping up in recent weeks, as the cast and director Cary Joji Fukunaga had been making the press rounds.

China, where the COVID-19 virus first sprang up, has had its movie business effectively shut down for the early part of 2020, which has cost more than $200 million in box office losses. Things are expected to get much worse before they get better, as other countries, such as Italy, have taken more severe precautions to help prevent the spread of the disease. Other movies such as 1917 and Sonic the Hedgehog had delayed releases in China, but {No Time to Die is the first major title to delay its release entirely over the outbreak.

Ralph Fiennes (M), Ben Whishaw (Q), Jeffrey Wright (Felix), Naomie Harris (Moneypenny) and Lea Seydoux (Madeleine Swann) return in No Time to Die, with Ana de Armas, Lashana Lynch, Billy Magnussen, David Dencik and Dali Benssalah serving as newcomers. Oscar-winner Rami Malek is set to play the villain, named Safin. Spectre, the previous James Bond movie, hit theaters in November 2015. That means it will be a full five years between installments with the delay.

That is by far the longest gap in the history of the franchise while the same actor has held the role. We'll be sure to keep you posted as any further updates become available. This news comes to us via 007.com. A new No Time to Die poster was also released, but it still has the April date on it, as it was launched just prior to the official release dat change. We'll likely see some new assets with the proper date coming soon. Until then, everyone stay safe and wash your hands.