The release date for the new James Bond film, No Time To Die, has been bumped up a few days earlier than originally planned after experiencing a months-long delay due to the coronavirus pandemic. Per Deadline, MGM has announced that No Time To Die will now be occupying the release date of the Godzilla vs. King Kong, which was slated to come out on November 20th later this year. No Time To Die had been scheduled to be released on November 25th in the United States ever since it was announced on March 4th that the film would be postponed from its original release date of April 10th. However, the film has been rescheduled yet again, this time by just a few days.
When the first postponement was announced back in March, it was predicted that MGM would lose between $30-50 million as a result of the new date. However, producers indicated at the time that they were fully prepared for this financial hit, and supported the decision to reschedule the release.
"They obviously are doing the right thing by putting the public safety, world safety, first,” producer Barbara Broccoli said at the time. “How will coronavirus affect the whole world markets and affect trade in general?" producer Michael Wilson asked. "We’re just one of the people that have to work in that environment.”
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No Time To Die, directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga, will see Daniel Craig returning as James Bond for his fifth and possibly final time. The film also stars Rami Malek, Ana de Armas, Lea Seydoux, Ralph Fiennes, Naomie Harris, Jeffrey Wright, and Christoph Waltz.
Coronavirus Postponement Of "No Time To Die" To Lead To $30-50M Loss
Coronavirus dishes out another hit.
Recently, MGM announced its plans to push back the debut of the forthcoming No Time To Die film all the way to November 2020 because of the coronavirus. While it was set to arrive on April 10th, the potential ramifications of the crippling epidemic caused filmmakers to rethink their release. With $4.5 million already lost on a Super Bowl ad, insiders tell The Hollywood Reporter that MGM is set to lose up to $50 million in expenses due to the delay.
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In North America, numerous theaters have already shuttered their doors due to the virus. Taking this into consideration, MGM stood to lose at least 30 percent of its projected box pull, anywhere from $300 million to $1 billion. Ultimately, the decision proved to protect the production company’s best interests.
In China, approximately 70,000 theaters have already closed down since January with no clear track toward reopening. With newfound outbreak clusters in Europe, the United Kingdom and Italy are also eyeing the possibility of theater closures moving forward.
“They obviously are doing the right thing by putting the public safety, world safety, first,” said No Time to Die producer Barbara Broccoli.
New reports suggest that No Time To Die won’t be the last in a string of big-budget films that will delay their debut to offset losses.
“It’s futile to try and predict what will happen right now and it’s something only the studios can ultimately answer,” Shawn Robbins, chief analyst at Boxoffice.com, tells CNN Business. “We’re all in a wait-and-see mode.”
Daniel Craig Provides Parody Preview Of "No Time To Die" On "SNL"
Daniel Craig served as host on Saturday Night Live and appeased Bond fans with sneak peak of “No Time To Die”.
As the spread of Coronavirus continues to wreak havoc and derail plans across the globe, it was announced that the forthcoming James Bond film, No Time To Die, is having its release postponed from April to November 2020. Public health concerns could likely lead to theatres being temporarily closed in multiple countries, which would seriously harm box office numbers and disappoint Bond fanatics. Obviously, the movie’s star, Daniel Craig, had to address this turn of events during his Saturday Night Live monologue.
Craig told the audience how the film’s producers were kind enough to allow him to air a new preview of No Time To Die during SNL. The sneak peak takes place in a casino, where James Bond enters and immediately starts fancying a fine lady. While this is usually the part in a Bond movie where the female love interest swoons over the secret agent, in this parody, he lacks any charisma. His smoothness, his propriety and his composure are totally absent. He’s a messy and unlucky gambler at a chaotic Craps table.
Also on SNL last night, The Weeknd premiered a new song titled “Scared To Live” off his upcoming album After Hours. He also performed the previously-released single, “Blinding Lights”.
James Bond Producer Explains Why 007 Has To Be Male
We won’t be seeing a Jane Bond any time soon.
With Daniel Craig stepping down from his role as James Bond, producers are searching for someone to take his place. While no one has been chosen, producer Barbara Broccoli says the role will definitely be given to a man.
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“He can be of any color, but he is male,” Broccoli said, according to IndieWire. “I believe we should be creating new characters for women—strong female characters. I’m not particularly interested in taking a male character and having a woman play it. I think women are far more interesting than that.”
Eva Green, who played Vesper Lynd in Casino Royale, has expressed similar sentiments in the past: “I’m for women, but I really think James Bond should remain a man. It doesn’t make sense for him to be a woman. Women can play different types of characters, be in action movies and be superheroes, but James Bond should always be a man and not be Jane Bond. There is history with the character that should continue. He should be played by a man.”
Rachel Weisz, who is married to Craig, has also agreed: “Why not create your own story rather than jumping on to the shoulders and being compared to all those other male predecessors? Women are really fascinating and interesting and should get their own stories.”
The newest Bond film, No Time to Die, is set to release on April 10, 2020.
