Yet again we find ourselves hunched over our desks, typing out a headline which no longer provokes any emotion aside from general weariness, silently shaking our heads. For the fifth time, No Time To Die has officially been delayed – all the way to October 8th, 2021.
The final instalment of Daniel Craig’s tenure as the famed MI6 intelligence officer was originally scheduled for a November 2019 release, before being postponed to February 2020… then April 2020… then November 2020… and most recently previous to this, April 2021.
As noted by Indiewire, while the majority of No Time to Die’s gross box office revenue is expected to come from international theatres, it’s still the “crown jewel of MGM’s slate and a lynchpin to its financial stability” in the US. Hence why they’ve chosen to push it further back rather than risk a lukewarm commercial reception a la Christopher Nolan’s Tenet.
Last year, it was reported that Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer had actually been in discussions with the likes of Netflix, Apple, and Amazon to acquire No Time To Die – US$600 million for a one-year license. Sources clarified that negotiations fell apart soon after (and we’re all paying for it now).
Craig will appear alongside Lea Seydoux, Ralph Fiennes, Christoph Waltz, Lashana Lynch, Ana De Armas, as well as Rami Malek – who will assume the role of the Bond’s other biggest adversary next to the ongoing pandemic. Directed by Cary Fukunaga, the screenplay has been co-written between Fukunaga himself, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, as well as Neal Purvis and Robert Wade.
Once more, the new No Time To Die release date is October 8th, 2021. But don’t hold your breath.
