The spread of the novel coronavirus has had a major impact on the entertainment industry, forcing studios to shut down the production of projects and to delay the release of highly anticipated films like Mulan, No Time to Die, New Mutants, and Black Widow.
Yesterday, word came out that Sony was delaying their entire summer 2020 slate in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Jason Reitman's highly anticipated Ghostbusters sequel, Afterlife, was pushed back from its July 10, 2020 release to March 5, 2021. Morbius original July 31, 2020 release was moved to March 19, 2021.
According to Forbes, these delays put Ghostbusters and Morbius right between Marvel's first 2021 release and the ninth Fast and Furious installment. While we can't be entirely sure how the novel coronavirus outbreak is going to affect Marvel's slate for 2021, but right now, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is still set for its February 12, 2021 release. If the film remains where it is, then Sony will have to follow Marvel's release.
Of course, things could change. We don't know how COVID-19 might affect film releases later this year. Sure, Marvel might have promised that Black Widow's delay wouldn't affect The Eternals release, but we can't be sure when the pandemic may end. If we can't successfully flatten the curve of the pandemic, then Black Widow may be given a 2021 release. That'll push The Eternals even further.
We can only hope that the coronavirus pandemic finally comes to an end.
Read: MCU Faces Major Issues as Coronavirus Continues to Spread
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