As Hollywood continues to deal with the ramifications of the coronavirus pandemic, another major movie release has been pushed back indefinitely.
The premiere of A Quiet Place Part II, the sequel to the 2018 sci-fi thriller A Quiet Place, was initially scheduled for March 20. According to John Krasinski, the film’s writer, director, and co-producer (who also co-stars in both films), the film will have its premiere moved to an unspecified later date due to the rapidly increasing, worldwide coronavirus threat.
Krasinski confirmed the decision to hold the film’s release via a post on Instagram.
A Quiet Place Part II studio Paramount Pictures also released a statement addressing the rationale for pushing back the film’s scheduled release date.
“After much consideration, and in light of the ongoing and developing situation concerning coronavirus and restrictions on global travel and public gatherings, Paramount Pictures will be moving the worldwide release of A Quiet Place Part II,” reads the statement. “We believe in and support the theatrical experience, and we look forward to bringing this film to audiences this year once we have a better understanding of the impact of this pandemic on the global theatrical marketplace.”
Released in 2018, A Quiet Place follows a family struggling to survive in a world where powerful extraterrestrial creatures have eliminated much of the world’s population. Entirely blind but practically indestructible, the creatures hunt via a highly attuned sense of hearing, forcing the remaining human population to live silent lives. Along with Krasinski, the film’s primary cast includes the filmmaker’s real-life wife, Emily Blunt, as well as young actors Millicent Simmonds and Noah Jupe, who portrays the couple’s children.
A Quiet Place was a critical and commercial hit, and the upcoming sequel picks up shortly after the events of the first film, with Krasinski, Blunt, Simmonds, and Jupe all reprising their roles.
The decision to postpone the release of A Quiet Place Part II comes as theaters in Europe and elsewhere around the world have been forced to close due to restrictions on public gatherings. The film is the latest in a long list of projects disrupted by the coronavirus pandemic. The release of the James Bond film No Time To Die was recently delayed seven months, and the premiere of Peter Rabbit 2 was delayed five months.
