Here comes the major announcement that we bet all Vin Diesel fans were dreading. The next instalment in Diesel's Fast & Furious franchise has been postponed by a year amid the coronavirus outbreak globally. Yes, you read it right. A year. While makers of films like Peter Rabbit 2 have postponed the film's release to August 2020 and Daniel Craig's No Time to Die has been pushed further till November, F9 producers have decided to be extra cautious by delaying its release by over a year.

The film's official twitter handle confirmed the big news via an official announcement. The action thriller was earlier slated to hit the screens in May this year but the fans will now have to wait for the next spring to see their beloved characters back in action. The trailer of F9 was released amid much fanfare in January this year and the return of Han Lue added a dose of intrigue in its already interesting plot.

Check out the Announcement

The reason to delay the movie by a year makes sense considering the franchise is so big in China. Fast & Furious 8 did a stellar business in the country and it continues to be one of the highest grosser at the China box office. And the country was the epicentre of the COVID-19 outbreak, it would take at least a year for them to get back on track.

Previously, John Krasinski had announced about the postponement of A Quiet Place II. The movie has been pushed indefinitely and the announcement of its new release date is awaited.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 12, 2020 10:16 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).