The ninth installment of the Fast and Furious saga was supposed to come out May 22 this year. Unfortunately, the coronavirus pandemic put those plans on ice, as it did every other Hollywood movie that was supposed to come out in theaters this year. Universal Studios called an audible and rescheduled the release for April 2, 2021, but now it looks like Fast 9’s release will once again get pushed back to May 2021. Oddly enough, COVID-19 isn’t to blame for this latest reschedule; the fault lies squarely on the shoulders of James Bond or, more specifically, the release of No Time to Die, the 25th movie of the long-running movie franchise. Originally scheduled for release on April 3 this year, No Time to Day was pushed back to November. Then it was pushed back yet again for April 2, 2021, or the earlier release date of Fast 9 before it got bumped off to May 2021. Don’t be surprised if Dominic Toretto sets his sights on James Bond in Fast 10.

The pandemic has really turned Hollywood upside down, hasn’t it?

The coronavirus pandemic has had a massive impact on the movie industry. Shooting of films has been postponed, release schedules have been gone haywire, and movie houses have been shuttered all over the world to help prevent the spread of the virus. Fast 9 and No Time to Die are two of many movies that have been affected by the virus. Both are blockbusters, which means that Universal Studios has a lot of money riding on the success of both films. Both movies are supposed to have come out by now, but given the current state of the pandemic, we haven’t seen anything with regards to these two movies beyond the teasers and trailers that were released earlier this year. All of this is a mess that a lot of people have to come to grips with, fans of both franchises included.

So when are we going to see Fast 9 now?

That’s more than a year after it was supposed to come out in cinemas all over the world. The studio initially set an April 2 date for the movie’s release, but now that date, at least according to the movie’s website, is now reserved for No Time To Die, the 25th movie in the James Bond franchise.

Why is the Bond movie getting preferential treatment when it doesn’t make as much money in the box office as the Fast and Furious franchise?

Universal didn’t specifically mention a reason behind bumping Fast 9’s release in favor of No Time To Day, but a lot of it could have something to do with the latter being the 25th James Bond movie. It’s a big accomplishment for the Bond movie franchise to have 25 titles under its belt. If the pandemic hadn’t hit, we could’ve seen Universal advertise and promote the business out of this movie because of the significance of achieving 25 movies. But since the entire Hollywood film industry is still walking on eggshells with regards to how the entire business can get back on its feet after the pandemic, it makes sense for Universal to give the Bond movie an earlier release date to maximize the hype and surrounding it.

In any other scenario, I think Universal would have prioritized the Fast and Furious franchise because of its stature as the studio’s bell cow. But ever since the pandemic hit, none of these things have mattered. All of us have had t come to grips with the new reality that COVID-19 has forced in our throats.

Fortunately, both movies are still scheduled to come out so that’s a victory in itself We may have not seen both movies yet, but the important thing is we’re going to see them eventually at separate points in the coming new year. Count your blessings in that sense; we’ve been horribly short on those in 2020.