Fast and Furious 9: New film has release date pushed back by entire year due to coronavirus

Universal have cancelled all plans to release ninth instalment in May 2020

The new Fast & Furious film, which was due to be released in May, has been pushed back by a year.

Universal made the decision to delay the release of Fast & Furious 9 following the coronavirus pandemic.

It will now be released on 2 April 2021.

The sequel follows Bond film No Time to Die and A Quiet Place II in having its release postponed, but having the date rescheduled for 11 months after it was scheduled marks the biggest delay yet.

Fast & Furious 9 is the next film in the franchise following the eighth instalment, which was release in 2017.

The delay means fans will have waited four years for a new film.

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The outing is set to follow Vin Diesel’s character, Dom Toretto, as he attempts to live a peaceful life off the grid with his wife Letty, played by Michelle Rodriguez.

But naturally, danger looms – this time in the form of Dom’s brother Jakob, a skilled assassin and driver played by John Cena.

Earlier this year, Universal hosted a huge event to launch the film’s trailer, which went on to be released globally following the Super Bowl.

Many Hollywood productions are shutting down because of coronavirus with several studios scrambling to delay the release dates of numerous high-profile films.

The eagerly anticipated sequel to horror film A Quiet Place, starring Emily Blunt, was due to be released next Thursday (19 March), but director John Krasinski has confirmed it will no longer go ahead.

 

Last week, MGM announced that 25th Bond film No Time to Die would have its release postponed until November, a decision that is reported to have cost the studio $50m.