Chris Rock’s highly-anticipated horror Spiral has been postponed by studio bosses due to the ongoing coronavirus outbreak.
The movie, a reboot of the Saw franchise, was due to be released on 15 May, but was pulled after cinema chains across the U.S. and around the world temporarily closed their doors in response to the virus, which has claimed the lives of more than 8,000 people.
Executives have also halted the release of Janelle Monae’s historical drama Antebellum, and thriller Run, starring Sarah Paulson.
A studio spokesperson said alternative release dates for the three movies have not yet been decided, but they will announce more information once cinemas “safely and fully resume operations”.
Spiral, which also features Samuel L. Jackson and Max Minghella, follows Rock’s veteran detective Ezekiel ‘Zeke’ Banks as he investigates a serial killer who is targeting police officers.
Antebellum, from directors Gerard Bush and Christopher Renz, focuses on Veronica, played by Monae, a successful author who finds herself transported back to the 19th century as a slave in the United States.
And Run features American Horror Story star Paulson as an overprotective mother, desperate to keep a sinister secret from her home-schooled daughter.
Also pulled from release in the wake of the global pandemic is Marvel’s standalone superhero movie Black Widow, starring Scarlett Johansson.
Other big-budget films affected by the coronavirus crisis include Fast & Furious 9, A Quiet Place II, and the 25th installment in the James Bond saga, No Time To Die.
