By John H. Foote
In a shocking move, just days before its release, the new James Bond film No Time to Die has been moved to November. The move sent shock waves through the film industry as it means the spring box office will suffer immeasurably. The title song has already been released and is doing very well and was being seen as a great build up to the release of the film.
The move comes after the outbreak of the Coronavirus in major European cities has the studio deeply concerned about box office. Rumours began swirling almost at once that perhaps the film was in trouble, needed additional editing, or that the studio was not happy overall with the picture. More positive were the rumours that a move to November could mean the studio has greater confidence in the film than even they imagined and that they have positioned it right at the beginning of awards season! A Bond film has never been nominated for Best Picture though I suspect a handful have come very close. Rumours aside, it seems to be about box office and the virus.
This marks the last time (supposedly) that Daniel Craig will portray 007 but you just never know. Of all the actors to play the role, he has impressed me the most, as he brings a real edge to the part and I believe him to be a killer, which of course Bond has license to be. There is a real danger about Craig that all the others, even the great Sean Connery lacked.
This new film co-stars Oscar winner Rami Malek as the villain, his first major role since winning the Academy Award as Freddie Mercury in Bohemian Rhapsody (2018), a controversial choice at best.
Die hard 007 fans will have to put their needs on hold for a few months.
John H. Foote is a well-recognized Canadian film critic/historian who has been an active critic for 30 years. His deep love for the movies began at a very young age. He began his career as co-host of the popular TV show Reel to Real where he remained for nine years. While on TV he began dabbling in education, eventually ascending to Director of the Toronto Film School, where he also taught film history. After leaving the college to care for his wife, he returned to teaching at Humber College where he taught both Film History and Method Acting Theory. John has written two books: “Clint Eastwood – Evolution of a Filmmaker” and the upcoming “Spielberg – American Film Visionary”. He is currently working on two books, one about the films of the seventies and another on the films of Martin Scorsese. Through his career he has worked in TV, radio, print and the web. John has interviewed everyone in the industry (more than 300 interviews) except Jack Nicholson, he says sadly. Highlights include Martin Scorsese, Tom Cruise, Meryl Streep Robert Duvall, Jane Fonda, Francis Ford Coppola and Kathryn Bigelow.
