Over the weekend, a rumor began running around that Hollywood it couple Ben Affleck and Ana de Armas might have hit a minor snafu. Namely, an unnamed source mentioned that with movies starting to gear back up, Affleck may not be welcome at the No Time To Die premiere. Yes, I’m talking about the new 25th flashy James Bond movie starring Daniel Craig and featuring Ana de Armas.
The Sun newspaper reported (via NZ Herald) a source in Los Angeles saying that Ben Affleck could “overshadow” the whole event. The source called Affleck showing up “a disaster,” mentioned the couple’s penchant for “mushy PDAs” and said if her new beau showed it would be “overshadowing the event.” Apparently, the powers that be want to avoid “a circus sideshow” and keep the focus on Bond, but can you imagine how awkward that conversation could be with Ana de Armas?
It’s true that No Time To Die will be a big event movie for the Bond franchise. It is Daniel Craig’s last outing in the role and while Ana de Armas is currently a popular actress and a splashy get for that franchise, her PDA with Ben Affleck theoretically could overshadow what should be the news story: the end of a Bond era.
It’s also worth noting that Ben Affleck and Ana de Armas’ burgeoning relationship has been one of the major focal points in entertainment news since the start of the pandemic. So, thinking people might care most about their PDA and romance isn’t as far-fetched of a rumor as it may at first seem.
However, a premiere event hasn’t even been settled for No Time To Die yet as the movie has been shifted to hit theaters later in 2020. For now, though the U.S. is still dealing with problems with Covid, movies are starting to move forward. Tenet is expected to be released worldwide on August 26 and in limited release in the U.S. in September. No Time To Die was one of the earliest films that had to shift back a release date. It’s more than ready and rearing to go; the studio is likely champing at the bit to get it out there and get red carpet plans moving once more.
We have a premiere date/ dates for No Time To Die -- the movie is expected to hit theaters at this point on November 12 in the U.K. (you’d have to think that’s where the big premiere would be) and on November 20th in the U.S. But an actual premiere has not yet been finalized for the movie. There are still a lot of moving pieces, including, presumably, the attendee list.
At the end of the day, the things I really want to know from the red carpet about No Time To Die are: How is Daniel Craig feeling at the time of his final 007 premiere? What does he most want to do post Bond? And then, obviously, who will take on Bond next?
I’m not nearly as interested in the Ana de Armas and Ben Affleck romance at least in the context of her work on No Time To Die, but if they walk a red carpet together and particularly if they answer questions, the focus certainly won’t be on Daniel Craig’s final outing or James Bond the character. There’s always the chance Ben Affleck and Ana de Armas aren’t interested in their romance taking the focal point during this event either given the Bond gig is a big deal for de Armas following gigs in Knives Out and Blade Runner 2049.
So, we’ll have to wait and see. Meanwhile, the fans who are interested in the Ben Affleck and Ana de Armas angle should get their chance to hear more about it. The couple actually met while they were filming the movie Deep Water together. That movie is actually a thriller about a couple dealing with some problems, but given the meet cute happened on the movie, that’s probably more of an acceptable premiere to shine a spotlight on their romance. As far as No Time To Die goes, the only person who gets to woo leading ladies is Bond, James Bond.
