“No Time To Die” Is Officially the Longest Bond Movie Ever
It was another lifetime ago (seriously, it feels like that) when we shared the news that No Time To Die was likely going to be the longest Bond movie ever made. This was way, way back in February of 2020 before the pandemic had changed everything. Now it’s official—United Artists has told domestic exhibitors not only the date that No Time To Die tickets can go on sale (September 17), but that the film is 163-minutes long. This is precisely the length that was reported early last year, confirming that No Time To Die will give Daniel Craig a record-breaking amount of time to die (let’s hope not) or mete out proper justice in his final turn as James Bond.
This confirmation from United Artists comes after more than a year’s worth of delays, which began on March 4, 2020, when Eon Productions, United Artists (the film’s domestic distributor), and Universal (foreign distributor) announced that they were moving No Time To Die from April to November 2020. We know how that worked out. Eventually, No Time To Die settled on October 8, 2021, which now seems to be the final resting place for a film that’s been hotly anticipated for 18-months now.
No Time To Die is the fifth and final Bond film for Craig, and the 25th in the franchise. The movie comes from the talented writer/director Cary Joji Fukunaga, off a script he co-wrote with Neal Purvis, Robert Wade, and Phoebe Waller-Bridge. The story opens with Bond attempting something drastically unfamiliar—retirement—in Jamaica. That’s when CIA agent Felix Leiter (Jeffrey Wright) shows up, nudging Bond back into active duty. Thus begins what promises to be an emotional final ride for Craig’s Bond, which will tie together the trauma from his experiences in the previous four films and pit him against what Fukunaga has promised will be his most brutal adversary ever, Rami Malek’s Safin.
The final trailer for No Time To Die was a thrilling, somber affair, revealing that Safin’s plans seem to include some kind of biological weapon, turning humans into unsuspecting carriers of disease. This, of course, is a chilling plot point considering the nightmare we’ve all been living (and continuing to live) through. Bond will be reunited with Madeleine Swann (Léa Seydoux), who not only has information on Safin but also seems to hold the only hope for a future Bond has left. He’ll need help from old colleagues like M (Ralph Fiennes), Q (Ben Whishaw), and Moneypenny (Naomie Harris), and a new double-o agent, Nomi (Lashana Lynch). There’s going to be a lot of action, and potentially a grimmer ending than any Bond film in the past if Craig’s final film finds him paying the ultimate price.
Now we know that No Time To Die really is the longest film in Bond history, and it really is coming out on October 8, and we’re really excited about it.
For more on No Time To Die, check out these stories:
Breaking Down the Somber, Thrilling Final Trailer For “No Time To Die”
Best of Summer: Daniel Craig’s Final Mission as James Bond is Nigh
Listen to the First Episode of The Official “No Time To Die” Podcast
Meet James Bond’s Most Dangerous Adversary Yet
“No Time To Die” Drops Sensational Second Trailer
No Time To Die Writer/Director Cary Fukunaga Pitched an Insane Original Premise
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.
