The news that No Time To Die would be pushed back once more to a release in April 2021 has been frustrating for fans of the James Bond franchise, to say the very least. Blaming the coronavirus pandemic, MGM, Universal and film producers Michael G Wilson and Barbara Broccoli announced that the 25th film in the series will be delayed until April 2nd, 2021. They said the move was being made so a "worldwide theatrical audience" could enjoy the release as intended.
Those who had been looking to checking out Daniel Craig's final outing as Bond have been left tearing out their hair, suggesting that the film should release as planned alongside an instant paid-for on-demand release, similar to the one Disney's live-action Mulan saw on their streaming platform, Disney+.
Speaking on The Tonight Show, Craig defended the decision to move the date for release once more, saying that the coronavirus pandemic was "bigger than us all".
He explained to host Jimmy Fallon: “We just want people to go and see this movie in the right way, the safe way. You know, cinemas all around the world are closed at the moment and we want to release the movie at the same time all around the world, this isn’t the right time.”
Craig is correct in that cinema chains are now taking extra precautionary measures to cut their losses, with Cineworld announcing a temporary closure of UK and US cinemas and Odeon revealing that some of their venues would be opening on weekends only.
As this will be his final outing in the lead role, he went on to say he had given "everything" to his Bond performances and was "so glad" he agreed to come and do this final movie.
We had lots of loose threads that we hadn’t tied up," he said. "The story just didn’t feel complete."
No Time To Die will now release on April 2nd, 2021.
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