Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Just when you thought the Coronavirus craze has reached its peak, the internet finds a new way to ramp the hysteria into overdrive, and this time, James Bond is in the crosshairs of the public’s panic.
Due to the rapid spread of the Coronavirus across the globe, the moderators of the James Bond fan blog MI6-HQ have written an open letter to the studio and Hollywood powers that be, asking them to delay the release of No Time To Die until the summer.
The letter, which you can read in its entirety here, argues that because fans have already waited four years for this film, another couple of months will be more than worth it if it means the safety of the general moviegoing public.
“With a month to go before No Time To Die opens worldwide, community spread of the virus is likely to be peaking in the United States,” the statement reads in part. “Today, Washington declared a state of emergency. There is a significant chance that cinemas will be closed, or their attendance severely reduced, by early April. Even if there are no legal restrictions on cinemas being open, to quote M in Skyfall, ‘How safe do you feel?’ Publicity tours for 007 in China, South Korea, and Japan have already been canceled. The release in Hong Kong was pushed to April 30th. These are sensible actions that should be applauded.”
“Delay the release of No Time To Die until the summer when experts expect the epidemics to have peaked and to be under control,” the statement continues. “It’s just a movie. The health and well-being of fans around the world, and their families, is more important. We have all waited over 4 years for this film. Another few months will not damage the quality of the film and only help the box-office for Daniel Craig’s final hurrah.” [via ComicBook]
While I understand the logic and the sentiment behind the letter, the fact is your more likely to die on your way to the movie theater to see No Time To Die than you are actually at the theater itself. Plus, the sooner it hits theaters, the sooner it hits on-demand, which means fans can watch the film until their eyes bleed if they so desire.
Directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga (True Detective), No Time To Die will see Daniel Craig portray famed MI6 secret agent 007 for the final time. In addition to Craig, No Time To Die also stars Ralph Fiennes, Naomie Harris, Ben Whishaw, Rory Kinnear, Jeffrey Wright, Léa Seydoux, Ana de Armas, Lashana Lynch, Christoph Waltz, and Academy Award winner Rami Malek as the main antagonist.
No Time To Die will hit theaters in the United Kingdom on Thursday, April 2 before being released in the United States on Wednesday, April 8, 2020.
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Eric is a New York City-based writer who still isn’t quite sure how he’s allowed to have this much fun for a living and will tell anyone who listens that Gotham City is canonically in New Jersey. Follow him on Twitter @eric_ital for movie and soccer takes or contact him eric@brobible.com