New James Bond movie No Time To Die has been delayed yet again, and will now release on October 8, 2021. The film has now been bumped back three times, and is scheduled for well over a year after its originally intended April 2020 release date. The 25th Bond film subsequently moved to November 2020, before shifting again to April 2021.
Theaters in many major markets are closed right now due to Covid-19, and even this new date seems like it could feasibly change again depending on how the situation looks in nine months' time.
The Hollywood Reporter last year suggested Apple had considered a bid for the movie for release on Apple TV Plus, but it didn't come to anything. The outlet's sources suggested studio MGM is accruing approximately $1 million in interest on the money it borrowed to make the movie. A lot is at stake here, then.
The film marks Daniel Craig's final appearance as 007, with Mr Robot's Rami Malek playing the villain, Safin. Returning character from past entries include Léa Seydoux as Dr Madeleine Swann, Ben Whishaw as Q, Naomie Harris as Eve Moneypenny, Ralph Fiennes as M, Christoph Waltz as Blofeld and Jeffrey Wright as Felix Leiter. Lashana Lynch and Knives Out's Ana de Armas are also part of the cast. Its director is True Detective's Cary Joji Fukunaga.
We interviewed Lynch about her role in the film last year if you want to learn more about what's planned for No Time to Die when it's eventually released.
- How to watch the James Bond movies in order
- The best and worst James Bond games
- Listen to the No Time to Die theme
The movie calendar shifts yet again
No Time To Die wasn't the only film to get a big delay this week. Sony followed MGM by shifting its own release schedule around, with the upcoming Ghostbusters: Afterlife moving from June 11 to November 11, 2021. Spider-Man spin-off movie Morbius with Jared Leto will now open in January 2022.
A new version of Cinderella has moved from February 5 to July 16, while the adaptation of the Uncharted games starring Tom Holland has moved from July 16 of this year to February 11, 2022.
When one or two movie studios delay their films, others tend to follow. And it's looking like we've still got a long wait ahead until the theatrical experience is back to normal.
