James Bond Film No Time To Die Pushed Back Again
The 25th James Bond movie, No Time To Die, was due to be released at cinemas in April after having been previously postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic, but now fans will have to wait even longer as the film is delayed for the third time.
BBC News reports that the film, which marks Daniel Craig’s final appearance 007, will now be released on 8 October, according to the official James Bond Twitter account.
Alongside Craig, the film stars some of the cream of British Voiceover talent, including Ralph Fiennes, recently voicing Barry the Tiger in Doolittle and Batman’s loyal manservant Alfred in the Lego Batman Movie, and Ben Whishaw who provided the voice for Peruvian bear Paddington in both the movies and the recent TV series.
No Time To Die was originally slated to come out in April 2020, but an open letter from fans saw the London premiere cancelled amid rising COVID-19 cases across the UK.
It was then scheduled for November 2020, but the crew pushed it back to April 2021, so it could ‘be seen by a worldwide theatrical audience’ as cinemas remained closed due to the lockdown.
The pandemic has caused massive disruptions in the film industry, with productions forced to put a halt to proceedings in the event of a positive case among the cast and crew. Actors and crew members are expected to form a ‘bubble’ and stay out of contact with anyone outside the production or their household.
But the closure of cinemas around the world has meant that film studios have not been able to make any money at the box office.
Earlier this month, Warner Bros announced it was delaying the release of the Sopranos prequel Many Saints Of Newark with large parts of the US still in lockdown. Superhero film Morbius, which features Jared Leto, sci-fi epic Dune and action sequel Top Gun: Maverick have also suffered coronavirus delays.
The delays have caused speculation that No Time To Die could ultimately skip cinemas altogether, and go straight to streaming services, as seen with Disney’s Mulan live-action remake and Pixar’s Soul, both with which premiered on Disney+.
Wonder Woman 1984 was also released on a streaming service, as well as a limited cinema release, being made available on HBO Max in the US on the same day.
Last year, Warner Bros announced its 2021 titles, which include sci-fi epic Dune and The Matrix 4, would all adopt a similar dual release pattern, which has caused tensions between Hollywood and US movie theatres.
Frustrated Bond fans were already waiting for the latest 007 film before the pandemic started, as Danny Boyle’s decision to quit as director in 2018 resulted in a delay
No Time To Die, the 25th film in the franchise, picks up with Bond after he has left MI6 and is enjoying a peaceful life in Jamaica when an old friend from the CIA turns up asking for help.
The film also stars Lea Seydoux, Rami Malek, Lashana Lynch, Ana De Armas and is directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga, with a script co-written by Fleabag creator Phoebe Waller-Bridge. Ralph Fiennes, Ben Whishaw, Rory Kinnear and Naomie Harris all reprise their roles.
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