For a long time it looked like, if no one else, James Bond would hold the line and parachute in to revive cinema next month. The most recent trailer for No Time To Die dropped with a bold 'November 2020' sign-off and hopes were high that Daniel Craig's final outing as 007 would still arrive on time. Sadly, though, that's not to be the case as the 25th Bond film has now been officially pushed back to next year.
Having originally been due to open in cinemas in April 2020, before being pushed back to 12 November after the Covid-19 outbreak, No Time To Die was officially removed from its slot today when Universal announced that, due to the ongoing uncertainty around the pandemic, the film would now be released on 2 April 2021.
“MGM, Universal and Bond producers, Michael G Wilson and Barbara Broccoli, today announced the release of No Time To Die, the 25th film in the James Bond series, will be delayed until 2 April in order to be seen by a worldwide theatrical audience," reads the official statement. "We understand the delay will be disappointing to our fans but we now look forward to sharing No Time To Die next year.”
Major studio releases have been fleeing the release schedules in droves over the past weeks, with Disney having recently announced that Black Widow, West Side Story and Eternals would all see their releases pushed back. Now, with Bond joining the exodus, only Warner Bros' Dune and Wonder Woman 1984 remain on the blockbuster schedule this year. Fingers crossed they stay that way.