MGM and EON have announced today that Daniel Craig's hotly awaited James Bond swan song No Time to Die has been pushed back to October 8, 2021 - nearly seventeen months after it was originally set to debut last year.
This is the film's fourth delay after being initially announced for November 2019 before moving to April 2020, where it was forced to vacate due to the worldwide outbreak of the still-ongoing coronavirus pandemic. It then moved to November 2020 and April 2021 before its new October date.
No Time to Die will now open opposite Sony Pictures' latest Marvel Comics adaptation, Morbius, which stars Academy Award-winner Jared Leto (Suicide Squad; Dallas Buyers Club) in the title role.
Universal Pictures, which is handling the film's international distribution, also moved The Addams Family 2 up one week to October 1 and pushed Bob Odenkirk's actioner Nobody from February to April 2, 2021 and Edgar Wright's Last Night in Soho from April to October 22.
Plot details remain mostly under wraps, but the story is said to pick up five years after Spectre, with James Bond having retired from active duty. However, his peace is short-lived as he's forced back into action when Felix (Jeffrey Wright) seeks his help in tracking down a missing scientist, which results in him uncovering a danger unlike any he - or the world - has ever faced before.
Cary Joji Fukunaga (Maniac; True Detective) is directing with a screenplay he wrote with contributions from Neal Purvis, Robert Wade, Scott Z. Burns and Phoebe Waller-Bridge.
In addition to Craig (Casino Royale; Quantum of Solace, Skyfall, Spectre), the film will also return Ralph Fiennes (M), Naomie Harris (Moneypenny), Léa Seydoux (Madeleine Swann), Ben Whishaw (Q), Rory Kinnear (Tanner), Jeffrey Wright (Felix) and Christoph Waltz (Blofeld). Newcomers to the franchise will include Academy Award-winner Rami Malek (Bohemian Rhapsody), Golden Globe-nominee Ana de Armas (Knives Out), Billy Magnussen (Game Night), Lashana Lynch (Captain Marvel), Dali Benssalah (Flash) and David Dencik (Quicksand).
Bond has left active service and is enjoying a tranquil life in Jamaica. His peace is short-lived when his old friend Felix Leiter from the CIA turns up asking for help, leading Bond onto the trail of a mysterious villain armed with dangerous new technology.
No Time To Die hits theaters October 8