The release of the latest instalment in the James Bond movie franchise ‘No Time to Die’ has been postponed to April 2021, the makers of the movie announced on Saturday.

“MGM, Universal and Bond producers, Michael G Wilson and Barbara Broccoli, today announced the release of ‘NO TIME TO DIE’, the 25th film in the James Bond series, will be delayed until 2 April 2021 in order to be seen by a worldwide theatrical audience,” the makers tweeted from the official James Bond Twitter account.

The film was originally slated for release on April 2, 2020. However, owing to the Covoid-19 pandemic, the release of the film was pushed back to November 2020. The film was then scheduled for a November 12 worldwide release followed by November 25 for the United States.

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According to a New York Post report, the makers had expected the film to become the highest-grossing movie in the James Bond franchise, with expected revenues of more than $1 billion worldwide.

The 2021 dates are meant to give the film a bigger theatrical release given that many movie theatres across the world still remain shut due to the pandemic.

“We understand the delay will be disappointing to our fans but we now look forward to sharing NO TIME TO DIE next year,” the makers added.

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Without the upcoming Bond franchise, major movies to be released this year now include DC’s ‘Wonder Woman 1984’. The movie is slated for release in December. Marvel’s ‘Black Widow’ and the ‘Top Gun’ sequel have also been delayed until 2021.

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