A Quiet Place Part II release delayed due to coronavirus: 'Now is clearly not the right time'

Another major Hollywood release has been delayed in light of the coronavirus.

A Quiet Place Part II, which has been getting high praise from early press screenings, has officially been postponed for theaters, director John Krasinski announced on Thursday morning.

"One of the things I'm most proud of is that people have said our movie is one you have to see all together," Krasinski wrote. "Well due to the ever-changing circumstances of what's going on in the world around us, now is clearly not the right time to do that. As insanely excited as we are for all of you to see this movie... I'm gonna wait to release the film til we CAN all see it together! So here's to our group movie date! See you soon!"

Part II picks up directly after the events of the first film, though Krasinski's Lee Abott makes an appearance during the film's opening scene: a flashback to the first day the monsters came to town. The sequel follows Evelyn (Emily Blunt) and her children, Regan (Millicent Simmonds) and Marcus (Noah Jupe), as they venture out beyond their destroyed home and meet a mysterious man (Cillian Murphy).

Early reports this week indicated the international release of the film had been delayed as more cases of coronavirus to spread in Europe.

"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," an official statement from the studio reads. "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."

Part II was originally set for release in U.S. theaters on March 20. A new date has yet to be announced.

Cases of the respiratory illness known as COVID-19 have been increasing in the United States as fears continue to grow and the stock market continues to drop.

As Hollywood regroups on planned events and movie premieres over concerns of further spreading the virus, MGM and Universal made the decision to postpone the release of James Bond film No Time to Die several months to November. As of Thursday morning, a rep for Disney told EW, "At this point, no release dates have changed."

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