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No Time to Die has become one of the longest soap operas in the history of the Eon Productions James Bond film series. But how did it get that way?
What follows are some key events and dates. All of them helped shape outside perspective of the production.
July 24, 2017: Both Eon and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer announce that Bond 25 will be released on Nov. 8, 2019. Neal Purvis and Robert Wade are onboard as writers.
At this point, MGM had no way of distributing the film. As it turns out, MGM was working to get back into distribution. But that wouldn’t be firmed up for some time. MGM and Annapurna would form a joint venture, later called United Artists releasing, for U.S. distribution. Eventually, Universal would be picked for international distribution.
In any case, the announcement creates the expectation Bond 25 would be out in fall 2019.
Aug. 15, 2017: Daniel Craig, on CBS’s The Late Show, says he’s returning as Bond in the new movie. The July 2017 announcement didn’t specify who was playing Bond.
Craig’s appearance helps create the impression of momentum. The Bond film machine is stirring.
Oct. 31, 2017: MGM and Annapurna announce their joint venture. Bond 25, for now, is not part of the deal. (It would become part of it later.) But again, the news creates the image of momentum.
February 2018: Entertainment news outlets report that Danny Boyle is a contender to direct Bond 25. Ultimately, it turns out Boyle and his writer, John Hodge, have a competing idea for the film and Hodge is working up a script. If that idea gets approved, Hodge is in the director’s chair.
Boyle confirms all this in March.
May 25, 2018: Official announcement is made that Boyle is directing and Hodge is writing Bond 25.
It’s a new day. Now, that’s what you call momentum.
Aug. 21, 2018: Danny Boyle, we hardly ye. He’s out, according to a new announcement. (It later becomes clear Hodge is gone, too.) Now, that’s what you call slamming the brakes on momentum.
Sept. 20, 2018: Bond 25 has a new director, Cary Fukunaga. It also has a new release date, Feb. 14, 2020, according to an official announcement.
That’s a mixed bag, but at least work is moving ahead.
Feb. 15, 2019: New release date is announced, now April 2020. The news was a bit of a letdown to Bond fans who had started their “one year to go” countdowns the previous day.
April 25, 2019: Eon conducts a livestream event in Jamaica ahead of the start of the production of Bond 25. There are some technical hiccups. There’s still no title. But, hey, filming is starting at long last.
We’re on our way now. What could go wrong?
May 22, 2019: Eon confirms Daniel Craig suffered an injury and will have ankle surgery. It’s not the firm time Craig has gotten hurt. Eon says the April release date is still in effect.
June 4, 2019: There’s an explosion at the 007 Stage at Pinewood Studios. No serious injuries but the optics weren’t the best.
Aug. 20, 2019: Bond 25 gets a title — No Time to Die. This helps re-establish momentum and anticipation. A title helps things seem more real. A movie is actually coming.
Oct. 25, 2019: Eon announces filming has concluded. Whatever bumps took place, the movie is done. Anticipation builds.
Over the next few months, the first trailer comes out, an expensive ad appears during the Super Bowl and plans for a world premiere get announced.
Then, on March 4, Bond 25/No Time to Die is delayed to November 2020. This week, it was delayed again to April 2021. In both cases, the actions stem from the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). The pandemic has slammed a lot of industries, including the film industry.
The point of bringing all this up is that Bond 25 has had 1) a lot of ups and downs and 2) had those ups and downs for an extended time.
As a result, if fans are feeling a little whipsawed, there’s good reason.
The movie is sitting there, presumably secure and ready to be shown. When that happens, anticipation will build yet again. But nobody should blame fans for feeling a little uneasy at this point.
Filed under: James Bond Films | Tagged: Bond 25, Cary Joji Fukunaga, Daniel Craig, Danny Boyle, Eon Productions, John Hodge, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Neal Purvis, No Time to Die, Robert Wade, United Artists Releasing, Universal |
The Spy Command 
Another post phoned release has disappointed their fans greatly. In the end it’s everyone’s decision to go to a theater or not. But at least getting it out there would put it closer to a date for when it could be streamed and released to hard copy. And where everyone can watch it. I think they owe their fans (especially of 25 years who’ve been waiting forever) that much instead of being overly greedy.
And yes, I understand “entertainment” is a business, no illusions there.