The premiere of Robert Pattinson’s new movie, ‘Good Time’, was canceled on Thursday night due to the worst flooding Britain has seen in 60 years. The premiere, which was scheduled to take place in London’s Leicester Square, was called off just hours before it was due to begin. Several streets, including Coventry Street, Charing Cross Road, and Piccadilly, were closed due to the severe flooding.
The announcement came as a shock to moviegoers who had traveled from near and far to see the premiere of the young adult adaptation of William Gibson’s novel, ‘The Perks of Being a Wallflower’. The premiere was scheduled to begin at 7:00 p.m. (10:00 p.m. EDT) but was delayed by about 30 minutes. Some viewers had to settle for a photo with the Twilight star and sneak into the cinema for a sneak peek. Others were lucky enough to get an early copy of the movie and watched it online. The premiere was eventually canceled at 10:30 p.m. (1:30 a.m. EDT) due to technical issues.
The premiere of ‘Good Time’ was one of the first film events to be canceled due to the flooding. Several others, such as the Baftas and the Grammys, were also called off. The flooding started on Wednesday morning and reached severe levels by Wednesday afternoon. On Thursday, the British government declared the third day of the floods a “public health emergency.” Since then, numerous rescue missions and house-to-house searches have been undertaken by teams from the British Army, RAF, and Royal Navy. At least 13 people have lost their lives, while several others remain missing.
Despite the tragic circumstances, it seems that Robert Pattinson and the cast and crew of ‘Good Time’ had fun filming the movie. On Thursday night, the 39-year-old actor tweeted a picture of himself with co-star Elle Fanning. The two were laughing and looking into the camera. In the photo, they appear to be touching hands. It is unclear if Pattinson and Fanning are actually a couple — perhaps they are just friends who are having a fun night out while promoting the movie?
Other cast members also shared their excitement about filming ‘Good Time’. Zoe Kazan, who plays Fanning’s character’s best friend, tweeted: “What an adventure! I had a blast working with Rob Pattinson on the set of #GoodTime.” While Alicia Vikander, who plays a small role in the movie, tweeted: “What an honor to work with the talented Rob (Pattinson) on set of #GoodTime. I can’t wait to see the movie!”
The production company, StudioCanal, also tweeted: “#GoodTime is looking fantastic! Thanks for sharing your excitement @alicavikander.” The British studio also shared a photo of the cast on set. It is not yet known when the movie will finally be released.
This is not the first time that a Pattinson movie has been delayed. Back in 2016, he was forced to postpone the U.S. release of the movie ‘The Lost City of Z’ for several months due to the delay in filming caused by the 2016 hurricane season. The British release of ‘The Lost City of Z’ was also postponed due to post-production challenges. The movie went on to be a critical and commercial success, winning the Empire Award for Best British Film and being nominated for Best Foreign Language Film at the Academy Awards. In total, it has grossed over $60 million worldwide.
It is also not the first time that a film adaptation of Gibson’s ‘The Perks of Being a Wallflower’ has been delayed. The book was first published in 1999 and became a famous bestseller. The movie was originally supposed to premiere in 2004 but was then delayed until 2009. It finally premiered in 2011 and went on to win numerous awards, including the prestigious Palme d’Or at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival. It was also nominated for a 2012 Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay.
The first two books in the ‘The Perks of Being a Wallflower’ series were also turned into movies. The first, ‘A Quiet Storm’, starring Emily Mortimer, was released in 2002 and the second, ‘Handsome Devil’, starring Charlie Hunnam, was released in 2013. The films were well-received and both became box-office winners. ‘A Quiet Storm’ earned over $41 million worldwide while ‘Handsome Devil’ made over $60 million.
A rep for Robert Pattinson confirmed to Variety that the actor is indeed stepping into the shoes of Charlie Price, the 18-year-old main character from the novels. Co-star Elle Fanning, who plays Price’s love interest, Nancy, said: “I can’t believe it. He’s just so much fun to work with. He brings a different energy to the set. You can’t help but vibe with him and have fun.”