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No Time To Die - A Vague Attempt at an Update
 When
will No Time To Die see the light of day? That remains anyone's guess.
The planned release in November looks iffy at best. We have no clue
what the situation will be like in November but I don't think, even
then, I'd really want to be sitting in a cinema with a bunch of
strangers. If cinemas open again how will they operate? Will they be
like supermarkets where they'll only let so many people in and you are
told to keep a safe distance from one another? That would mean a
reduced box-office. EON must be incredibly frustrated by these strange
world events beyond their control. They were only days away from what
was projected to be a huge April opening and now they are sitting on a
film that they can't actually release. If they had managed to release
the film last November (as originally planned) they would have enjoyed
a full cinema run and then released the film to streaming exactly at
the point when everyone was isolating at home and desperate for
something to watch. As it stands now though, they must be wondering if
they'll ever be able to turn any profit from No Time To Die.I
genuinely don't have the foggiest when things will be 'normal' enough
to release major films in cinemas again but I wouldn't be surprised to
see No Time To Die pushed back to 2021. It's incredible that Spectre
came out in 2015 and yet its direct sequel could take six years to
appear. That would equal the gap between Licence To Kill and GoldenEye
(and the gap between LTK and GoldenEye must have felt like an absolute
lifetime to Bond fans at the time). No Time To Die is, like many other
films at the moment, now frozen in carbonite like Han Solo at the end
of The Empire Strikes Back. There is the option of bypassing the cinema
and putting No Time To Die on streaming services - something which a
number of productions have done in recent weeks and months. However,
they were not James Bond films. Although technology is rapidly changing
the way we consume film and television, I believe Barbara Broccoli and
most Bond fans would always much prefer the traditional prestige of a
cinema release - however long it might take in this particular case. I
honestly can't see No Time To Die going straight to streaming services.
It is though ridiculous that the
Daniel Craig era has somehow been stretched out to nearly fifteen
years. If things ever do get back to 'normal' then there is no excuse
for these long gaps between the films. I'm all for reducing the budgets
if it means films on a regular basis. A more streamlined budget might
actually make for a leaner and more exciting film. Besides, when you
watch Spectre or Skyfall, it's a struggle to understand why these films
cost so much money in the first place. Spectre seems to suffer from a
strange lack of extras and the end of Skyfall is like an episode of
Emmerdale crossed with Straw Dogs.The
question of what will happen next once No Time To Die has (eventually)
come and gone remains a mystery. The delay to No Time To Die might have
ended the hopes of some of the actors we were once talking about as
successors to Daniel Craig. Tom Hiddleston (who was - back in the mists
of time - alleged to be in pole position if Daniel Craig didn't come
back after Spectre) is nearly 40. Aiden Turner at 36 still has time and
would be about the same age that Daniel Craig was in Casino Royale if
they were able to start work on a new film in the next couple of years.
It is very possible though that the next Bond actor will come from a
younger generation and be someone that most of us have barely heard of.
And there's always the option of going for someone who is quite well
known - like Chris Hemsworth (who has expressed an interest in the
part). Hemsworth as Bond? Not the craziest idea ever floated. Whatever
happens, the search for the next James Bond could potentially be a lot
of fun and keep us guessing right to the end.- GH
c
2020
Alternative 007
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