Skyfall: try reading the press release

This past week, at least two news outlets made it sound like there was a fresh disclosure about the plot of Skyfall, the 23rd James Bond film. Depends on your definition of fresh.

Daniel Craig and his Skyfall co-stars on Nov. 3 -- when a press release was first issued with a brief description of the movie's plot

On Jan. 16, The Wrap ran a story (CLICK HERE to read the entire piece) that began:

Daniel Craig is back as James Bond, and though details of his next adventure, “Skyfall,” are being kept closely under wraps, Sony did reveal a few tantalizing clues in an official plot summary released this week.

(snip)
“In ‘Skyfall,’ Bond’s loyalty to M (Judi Dench) is tested as her past comes back to haunt her,” the summary reads. “As MI6 comes under attack, 007 must track down and destroy the threat, no matter how personal the cost.”

The Irish Examiner on Jan. 17 ALSO RAN A STORY, also quoting from the summary.

“In ‘Skyfall’, Bond’s loyalty to M (Judi Dench) is tested as her past comes back to haunt her. As MI6 comes under attack, 007 must track down and destroy the threat, no matter how personal the cost.”

All of this is well and good, except the summary being quoted from wasn’t exactly new and the plot details involved weren’t under wraps. Back on Nov. 3, more than two months earlier, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Sony Pictures and Eon Productions put out a press release (which you can read by CLICKING HERE).

Here’s the third paragraph of the Nov. 3 release:

In SKYFALL, Bond’s loyalty to M is tested as her past comes back to haunt her. As MI6 comes under attack, 007 must track down and destroy the threat, no matter how personal the cost.

This reminds us of a slogan that NBC used about a decade ago during the summer when it had a prime-time lineup of reruns. “If you haven’t seen it, it’s new to you.”