No Time To Die had already been pushed back twice, and will now debut globally on 8 October,

an announcement on the film's website said.

It had originally been due to hit screens in April 2020.

The film is the 25th instalment in the Bond franchise, and marks Daniel Craig's final appearance as British secret service agent 007.

It also features Lea Seydoux and Rami Malek.

The delay will come as a further blow to cinemas that have been forced to shut for months at a time because of lockdowns.

It has closed all its cinemas in the UK and Ireland until further notice.

The previous Bond film, 2015's Spectre, took almost $900m (£690m) at worldwide box offices.

A significant part of Bond film earnings come from the UK and European market, and studio MGM may be concerned that Covid restrictions could limit No Time To Die's box office earnings.

It comes after Warner Bros this month announced it was delaying the release of Sopranos prequel The Many Saints Of Newark.

Other blockbusters affected by the pandemic include Jared Leto superhero film Morbius, sci-fi epic Dune and action sequel Top Gun: Maverick.