'No Time to Die' holding firm to October release date for Daniel Craig's final Bond outing
After many, many delays, James Bond's latest adventure, No Time to Die, is finally poised to hit theaters in October.
During an MGM/United Artists Releasing presentation at CinemaCon on Tuesday, MGM's Michael De Luca and Pamela Abdy drove home this point, making it clear that the studio was holding firm to its planned Oct. 8 release date.
"We know it's been a long wait," De Luca said. "Trust us, we felt it too. But the wait is nearly over. Obviously we're beyond thrilled to be joining with our friends and producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli, and our incredible director, Cary Fukunaga, all of whom value and worship the theatrical experience with everybody in this room."
MGM Daniel Craig in 'No Time to Die'
The film brings Bond out of retirement to help rescue a kidnapped scientist, in the process pitting him against a nefarious villain armed with dangerous technology (played by Rami Malek). It is Daniel Craig's fifth and final outing as Agent 007. De Luca said the filmmakers "are all bringing Daniel Craig's final performance of James Bond to the theaters this fall. And we can't wait for audiences to see the remarkable way he's closing out his legacy with this film. This man leaves it all on the field." He added that the film is "going to blow your mind."
As for all those release date changes, De Luca said the tough decisions were made to ensure fans got to see the film in theaters, and not at home. "It was important to us to release this movie so fans could watch James Bond as it's intended to be enjoyed — on the big screen," he said. "We're happy to say that that day is almost here."
To celebrate the impending release, MGM also previewed a lengthy clip from the movie. The high-octane sequence began with Bond on the ground, covered in dust and dirt, his ears ringing from some unseen explosion. He starts running down a cliffside, and his unknown enemies pursue him, guns blazing. After an intense battle, Bond gets his assailant cornered with a clothesline around his neck. As the man is dying, he mentions the evil organization Spectre. This leads to an angry confrontation with Léa Seydoux's character, Madeleine Swann, whom Bond now believes sold him out.
The two hop in the Aston Martin as Swann pleads with Bond, insisting that she'd rather die than betray him. In the car, she says there's something she needs to tell Bond, but before she can, she gets a mysterious phone call with the Spectre logo on it. A voice tells her, "Your father would be so proud of you. Your sacrifice will be our glory." She continues to insist she's innocent. More baddies show up, crash into the car, and circle them. Bullets rain down on the (thankfully) bulletproof car, and just as it seems the gunfire is going to finally be too much for the windows, Swann urges Bond to save them and he fires up the hidden guns located in the car's headlights, does doughnuts to make sure every last assailant is hit, and veers off into the safety of the town.
No Time to Die also features Ana de Armas, Lashana Lynch, Ralph Fiennes, Jeffrey Wright, Christoph Waltz, and Naomie Harris. Ahead of its theatrical release, it's slated for a Sept. 28 world premiere at London's Royal Albert Hall.
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