London (AP) – James Bond fans will have to wait until they see Daniel Craig <!––> see 007 on screen in his last assignment as a secret agent.
The start of the new James Bond film has again been postponed for just over six months. “No Time to Die” is now set to hit cinemas on October 8, 2021, almost six years after the last 007 adventure “Specter” to date. The producers announced this on social media and on the official James Bond website.
Bond fans only had to wait that long once: after “License to Kill” (1989) with Timothy Dalton <!––> Because of a legal dispute, it even took more than six years before “GoldenEye” (1995) with Pierce Brosnan was released. Although Daniel Craig has made fewer films than his famous predecessors Sean Connery and Roger Moore, he has now served Her Majesty the longest as Agent 007. Craig made his debut in 2006 in “Casino Royale”.
“No time to die” has now been postponed for the fifth time. Because of the coronavirus pandemic, it had long been speculated that the planned start on March 31 would be canceled. The makers did not give a reason this time, but a connection with the pandemic is considered certain. Not only in Germany are the movie theaters currently closed. Even in Bond’s home country Great Britain, the USA and many other countries, the cinemas remain empty for the time being.
According to the well-networked 007 magazine “MI6”, advertising and cooperation partners have been informed of the change in the past few weeks. When the start was last postponed from November 2020 to April 2021, some were reportedly surprised. DHL had just launched a bond commercial. An advertising campaign by the mobile phone company Nokia <!––> with actress Lashana Lynch went down. The Nokia devices used in the film are already considered obsolete.
The situation is even more troubling for cinema operators. “No time to die” (original title: “No Time To Die”) has almost become a symbol of the battered industry. The cinemas were still open last November. When the movie release was postponed, some cinema chains decided to close their houses for the time being.
“I hope that the new bond comes very soon,” said Peter Dinges, director of the German Film Funding Agency (FFA), the dpa. “Because it is sure to be a box office hit.” Dinges expects a new cinema boom after the corona pandemic. He doesn’t believe that “no time to die” ends up with a streaming service. It is clear to the creators “that the new Bond is a number one cinema title that needs the screen. And the cinema needs the new Bond. ”
The US company Warner wants to show all of its films, including blockbusters like “Godzilla vs Kong” or “Matrix 4”, simultaneously in US cinemas and on its own streaming service in 2021. In October, the US media reported that MGM was considering negotiating with providers such as Apple or Netflix about selling the 007 film. How specific these alleged plans were, however, remained unclear. And in November, an MGM spokesman made it clear in the US industry magazine “Variety” that the film was not for sale. You want to keep the cinema experience.
James Bond fans are now used to waiting. Originally, “No Time to Die” was supposed to celebrate its premiere in October 2019. Due to the change of director from Danny Boyle to Cary Joji Fukunaga and because of improvements to the script, the start was postponed twice. When the film was finished, the coronavirus broke out. Until October 8th, 007 fans will have to tremble – at least.
© dpa-infocom, dpa: 210122-99-124317 / 4
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