A new year may mark new beginnings on numerous fronts, but as far as the COVID-19 pandemic goes, it’s still an everyday hassle. As such, many movie theaters remain closed, meaning that movies that were supposed to come out last year are still awaiting their big screen presentation. Alas, more delays of cinematic content was expect, and now it’s been confirmed that the next James Bond movie, No Time to Die, has been pushed to fall 2021.
While it had previously been reported that MGM and Eon Productions were thinking about sliding No Time to Die further down the calendar, up until today, the official plan was for it to still drop on April 2. That’s no longer the case, with Daniel Craig’s final James Bond outing being shifted to October 8, 2021. As a result of this date shift, No Time to Die now finds itself opening the same weekend as Morbius, what is currently the third entry in the Sony Pictures Universe of Marvel Characters.
So now we add another delay to our No Time to Die journey. Once upon a time, this movie was supposed to come out in late 2019, but various behind-the-scenes happenings, including the departure of original director Danny Boyle, necessitated that it be moved to April 2020. By early March 2020, with the COVID-19 pandemic having spread worldwide, No Time to Die was the first movie to vacate its release slot in response to the virus, moving to November 25, 2020. By time time October 2020 rolled around, and it was clear that theatrical markets were still a ways off from returning to normal, it was decided to move No Time to Die to April 2, 2021, and now an addition six months of wait time has been tacked on.
While some movies have shifted to being streaming offerings in response to theater closures, and Warner Bros has gone with releasing Wonder Woman 1984 and all its 2021 movies on in theaters and HBO Max simultaneously, No Time to Die is sticking with a classic theatrical release. That’s not to say sending the next James Bond movie to streaming wasn’t considered, but it would have have an expensive endeavor. In November 2020, it was reported that MGM wanted approximately $800 million from the platform looking to snag No Time to Die, and there were no takers.
Set five years after the events of Spectre, No Time to Die follows Daniel Craig’s James Bond being pulled out of retirement to track down Valdo Obruchev, a missing scientist, only to learn that not only Obruchev abducted, but this is part of a sinister scheme that could result in millions being killed. Along with Léa Seydoux, Ben Whishaw, Naomie Harris, Jeffrey Wright, Christoph Waltz, Ralph Fiennes and Rory Kinnear all reprising their respective roles from past James Bond movies, the lineup of new faces includes Rami Malek, Lashana Lynch and Ana de Armas. Cary Funkanaga directed and worked on the script with Neal Purvis, Robert Wade and Phoebe Waller-Bridge.
As we wait for more news concerning No Time to Die, or maybe even an announcement of another delay months from now, keep track of the rest of this year’s movies with our 2021 release schedule.
