We live in interesting times. The world seemed to be on the verge of a breakdown before COVID-19 burst onto the scene but it feels that this disease has sky-rocketed anxiety, paranoia and fear. The scariest part is that not a single soul knows what’ll happen. No one — and I mean no one — has been alive during the sort of pandemic we might be facing. Well, unless you are really, really old and were a kid during the Spanish Flu pandemic of 1918. If that’s the case, I would probably hide indoors for awhile and invest in hand sanitizer.
Anyway, things are weird. Part of me is scared shitless, not because of the disease as much as the world’s reaction to it. The way that society can wobble, shake and fall apart becomes very apparent when you see crazed people ransacking toilet paper aisles at the store. Stocking up on toilet paper doesn’t even make sense but folks are doing it because they aren’t thinking straight and herd mentality is taking over. We walk a thin line between complete mad anarchy and civilized order. All we need is just a little nudge to go over the edge.
The other of part of me (the part that has read The Stand about two-dozen times and devours zombie fiction) watches on with morbid curiosity. Like I said, things are just weird.
That is my roundabout way of saying another Hollywood release has been delayed because of the coronavirus crisis. Paramount Pictures has announced that A Quiet Place Part II, due in theaters next freaking Friday, has been pulled off the schedule because of the current pandemic. Director John Krasinski posted this note about the abrupt delay:
Paramount hasn’t announced a new release date for the film. Unlike No Time To Die, A Quiet Place Part II now exists in a sort of cinematic limbo. It’ll be released whenever everything calms down.
And when will that be? Hell if I know. It feels like things only ramp up more and more with the coronavirus. It’s as if we are on an ever-climbing rollercoaster, waiting for the inevitable drop that leads us to some sort of conclusion. The death toll keeps rising, news keeps breaking, society keeps adapting and it just doesn’t stop. And you keep hearing everyone say “This is like something out of a movie.” Yes, that’s true. But, trust me, as someone who has watched a lot of movies about this subject, even I don’t know what comes next.
UPDATE: While writing this piece, I heard the news that the latest Fast & Furious film, Fast 9 or F9 or whatever it’s called, has been delayed by an entire year. That film, originally due in May 2020, will now debut in April 2021. I think it’s safe to assume that there will be more delays in the near future.
Summer 2020 may just be canceled.