Bond is Back as No Time To Die Reveals Earlier-Than-Expected Release Date
It looks like 007 will be returning for duty a little earlier than expected. Universal and MGM’s hotly-anticipated No Tim To Die has a brand new release date—again—and this time it’s good news. Director Cary Fukunaga and star Daniel Craig will get to reveal Craig’s last turn as her Majesty’s most lethal spy on November 20, 2020, here in the United States. This comes after the original release date of April 10 was put on hold due to the spread of COVID-19. No Time To Die was one of the first big-name films to move release dates, to November 25, 2020, back in early March. Yet a new update on Twitter revealed that Bond’s coming back a bit earlier:
The return of old friends in NO TIME TO DIE.
In cinemas 12th November UK, 20th November US. pic.twitter.com/GkXugGEAba
— James Bond (@007) June 13, 2020
This new release date is big news for Bond heads the world over, and marks yet another major film getting a fresh date. Warner Bros. has moved Christopher Nolan’s Tenet from July 17 to July 31, 2020, making Nolan’s latest the first major blockbuster to open since the pandemic changed everything in mid-March. Warner Bros. also moved Wonder Woman 1984 from August 14 to October 2, 2020. The Matrix 4, another massive Warner Bros. production, is now moving to April 2, 2022, from the original release date of May 21, 2021.
No Time To Die‘s late-November release date puts it at the start of the holiday season here, the same day Pixar releases their latest effort, Soul. We already know that Craig’s last mission as Bond will be the longest film in the franchise’s history. No Time To Die picks up five years since the events in Spectre, with MI6’s legendary super spy nursing his wounds in Jamaica. “After five years of retirement, who has he become?” Fukanaga asked in a No Time To Die teaser. “He’s sort of a wounded animal struggling with his role as a double O. The world’s changed, the rules of engagement aren’t what they used to be. The rules of espionage are darker in this era of asymmetric warfare.“
Of course, Bond won’t stay retired for long. Once CIA agent Felix Leiter (Jeffrey Wright) shows up, 007 plunges back into action. And with this amount of runtime to work with, he’ll have plenty of runway to see old friends like Madeleine Swann (Léa Seydoux), old enemies like Blofeld (Christoph Waltz), meet new allies like Nomi (Lashana Lynch), and finally, deal with new threats. Specifically, Safin (Rami Malek), who, according to Fukanaga, will be challenging Bond and threatening everyone and everything he holds dear.
Featured image: James Bond (Daniel Craig) and Dr. Madeleine Swann (Léa Seydoux) drive through Matera, Italy in NO TIME TO DIE, a DANJAQ, and Metro Goldwyn Mayer Pictures film. Credit: Nicola Dove © 2019 DANJAQ, LLC AND MGM. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
