Names and faces
■ The release of the James Bond film No Time to Die has been pushed back several months because of global concerns about the coronavirus. MGM, Universal and producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli announced on Twitter on Wednesday that the film’s release will be pushed back from April to November.
The announcement cited consideration of the global theatrical marketplace in the decision to delay the release of the film. No Time to Die will now hit theaters in the United Kingdom on Nov. 12 and worldwide on Nov. 25. The Bond films make a significant portion of their profits from international markets. No Time to Die is expected to be the last Bond movie with Daniel Craig in the role of the suave British secret agent. The previous Bond film, Spectre, made more than $679 million from overseas theaters in 2015, with $84 million of that total coming from China. Concerns had already been brewing around the imminent release and the coronavirus outbreak. Publicity plans in China, Japan and South Korea had previously been canceled. Hollywood film release and production schedules have already been affected by the outbreak. Last week, Paramount Pictures halted production on the seventh Mission: Impossible film, which had been scheduled to shoot in Venice, Italy. The studio also postponed the Chinese release of Sonic the Hedgehog.
■ A jury decided Wednesday that former television talk show host Tavis Smiley, who was fired amid allegations of workplace sexual misconduct at the height of the #MeToo movement, must pay about $1.5 million to his former employer, the Public Broadcasting Service. Smiley was suspended in December 2017 and later fired from PBS after the network said it had received multiple, credible allegations of misconduct by Smiley on his late-night interview show. He was on air with PBS for more than a decade, broadcast to more than 200 stations nationwide. Smiley, who is black, was the only minority-group member to have served as the solo host in the history of the network, according to his lawsuit. Smiley sued PBS in D.C. Superior Court, contending that racial bias contributed to his dismissal and that he was terminated without proof. He acknowledged having romantic relationships with colleagues over his career, but he said they were consensual. The network countersued. At issue is the network’s “morals” clause, which bars romantic relationships in the office and also disallows employees from acting in a way that would affect the employee or network in a negative way. Jurors heard testimony from six female employees who described misconduct claims. Smiley denied the allegations.