The virus continues to go viral.
On Thursday a post was released on “The Fast and Furious” Facebook fan page stating the ninth installment in the film series, “F9“, was postponed for a third time to June 25, 2021. The second delay was due to the latest James Bond flick “No Time To Die” being pushed back to April 2, 2021, which has since been pushed back to October 8, 2021. “F9” was originally scheduled to hit theaters May 22, 2020, but the North American premiere was pushed back to 2021 last March.
The first trailer released in January 2020 showed Jacob Toretto (played by John Cena), the brother of Vin Diesel’s Dominic Toretto, is the main antagonist. Cena drives a Ford Shelby GT350R Mustang in one scene, while Toretto appears set to stick with his Dodge Charger. A Toyota Supra is expected to make an appearance in the film as well.
The original trailer also had a surprise reveal. Han is still alive, despite his apparent death in the third film in the franchise “Tokyo Drift.”
A new trailer was released in Feburary during Super Bowl LV with the expected mayhem and drama one finds in these films.
It’s unclear how the postponement of “F9,” and the general concern about coronavirus, might affect plans for an all-female “Fast and Furious” spinoff previously discussed by Diesel.
The “F9” originally announcement came shortly after Jeremy Clarkson confirmed on Twitter that season 4 of “The Grand Tour” is delayed due to coronavirus concerns.
A nearly completed episode has been held up, and filming of further episodes won’t be possible under current conditions, Clarkson said.
Pressure to cancel or postpone large gatherings has also affected the schedules of Formula One, Formula E, and IMSA.