Bond 25 pushed back by two months; Cary Joji Fukunaga directorial to now release on 8 April, 2020

The latest installment of James Bond franchise has been delayed by two months, studio MGM has announced. The film, which was earlier set to release on 14 February, 2020, will now open on 8 April, 2020, reported Variety.

To be directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga, the film is expected to start production in March this year. The film was previously set to be directed by Danny Boyle with a release date of 8 November, 2019.

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After Boyle dropped out of the project over "creative differences", the film's release date was moved to 14 February, 2020.

The yet-untitled Bond 25 film will mark Daniel Craig's fifth and possibly the last outing as the famed British spy.

Actor Ralph Fiennes, Naomie Harris and Ben Whishaw will also reprise their roles in the new film. French star Lea Seydoux, who played psychologist Madeleine Swann in Sam Mendes' Spectre, is also returning.

MGM will release the film in partnership with Annapurna Pictures.

Friday's announcement came shortly after Universal Pictures stated that it had changed the release date of Fast and Furious 9 from April 10 to May 22, 2020 — the beginning of the Memorial Day weekend, reports Variety.

The previous seven Bond films have all had opening in the fall corridor, dating back to 1995's Golden Eye. License to Kill, released in July, 1989, was the last film to have launched outside the fall. It was the second film to feature Timothy Dalton as James Bond.

(With inputs from press trust of India)