The Monster Hunter franchise has a massive following and while the games tend to bring in plenty of veteran players along with newcomers, the IP may get some new appeal to viewers that are not typically gamers. We’ve seen several video game titles get adapted into cinematic films and while there have been far more misses than hits, we know that Monster Hunter is nearing its release for the big screen. Unfortunately, it looks like the film is being pushed back for its big debut and it may very well be the coronavirus that is holding up the release.
There are several industries hurting because of the worldwide health pandemic outbreak thanks to the coronavirus. We’ve seen several projects get pushed back, but for films, there have been several movies that were released early for home media that also proved to be hit. For instance, one of the hits that came out that gathered a wide audience was Sonic and it’s also already gearing for a sequel. However, it looks like Sony is not going to push Monster Hunter into homes quite yet. While the film was intended to launch into theaters on September 4, 2020, it looks like Sony had pushed the film to April 23, 2021.
This news comes from Deadline, who speculates that the reason behind the push back was due to the current coronavirus pandemic in the United States. There are rumors of another lockdown happening in L.A. which would further prevent theaters from opening up. It looks like Paul W.S. Anderson and Milla Jovovich will have to wait a bit longer to see the reception for their movie.
Speaking of the duo, this is not their first attempt at a film adaptation from a video game franchise. In fact, they worked on the Resident Evil films from Capcom. So far what we know of this adaptation, it would appear that some soldiers from Earth have entered a portal that traps them on a planet full of massive monsters. How this will appeal to the players that have been enjoying the Monster Hunter franchise for years now remains to be seen.
