'No Time To Die', the 25th installment in the James Bond franchise and the fifth and final outing of Daniel Craig as the legendary spy, is much-anticipated and eagerly awaited across the world. But now, it seems as if the fans have to wait another 7 months to watch the MI6 agent 007 on the silver screen.

The film was initially scheduled for an April release but now, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Universal Pictures and producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli announced on Twitter on Wednesday that the film would be pushed back to November 2020 because of global concerns about Coronavirus. The announcement cited consideration of the global theatrical marketplace in the decision. 'No Time To Die' will now hit the theatres on November 12 in the UK and worldwide on November 25.

The Bond films make significant profits from overseas markets. 'Spectre' made over $679 million from overseas theatres in 2015 with over $84 million of that total coming from China. China is the second biggest movie market in the world following U.S.

Concerns had already been brewing around the release and the global pandemic. Publicity plans in China, Japan and South Korea had previously been cancelled. And on Monday, the popular James Bond fan site MI6-HQ published an open letter to the producers urging them to delay the film's roll-out. It is time to put public health above marketing release schedules and the cost of canceling publicity events, the letter said.

Hollywood studios and film release schedules are facing setbacks because of COVID-19. Disney's live-action remake 'Mulan', which primarily consists of an Asian cast, had to cancel its Chinese Premiere causing the studio to incur a loss of millions. Last week, Paramount Pictures put the production of Tom Cruise starrer 'Mission Impossible 7' on halt. The studio also postponed its Chinese release of 'Sonic the Hedgehog'.

Universal Pictures had worked really hard on their Indian division to ensure the widest release for 'No Time To Die'. On February 28, the trailer had been released in 10 Indian languages. Although, the film will only be releasing in five languages. No Time to Die is produced by EON productions. It is directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga from a screenplay by Neal Purvis, Robert Wade, Fukunaga and Phoebe Waller-Bridge.

The Coronavirus outbreak emerged in China and has spread globally. In all, more than 94,000 people have contracted the virus worldwide, with more than 3,200 deaths. The outbreak has forced the closure of theatres in Italy, Korea and China.