2020 has been filled with delays for film fans, as many of the year’s top movies have either shifted or vacated 2020 altogether in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. No Time to Die, the latest installment in the 007 franchise is one of the biggest projects to have been delayed, and fans are eager to see what’s in store for Daniel Craig’s final outing as James Bond. Director Cary Joji Fukunaga is as anxious about the film’s release as anyone, and he’s now opening up about how he felt when the movie’s first delay hit.
No Time to Die was originally set to be released back in April, but it was delayed to November in light of the ongoing global health crisis. Cary Joji Fukunaga admitted that when he first heard the move was coming, he was disappointed. However, he quickly saw that it was the right decision for the project:
There were a couple of hours of ‘Fuck, it’s not happening.’ And then pretty quickly, I mentally moved on.... I was at peace with it. I think they made a very smart decision to be one of the first to say out loud, ‘This is a big thing. We’re moving the film.’ Because a lot of people were in denial. Some still are.
No Time to Die was recently delayed again, this time to April 2021. Although Fukunaga is eager to share his film with the world, he told The Wall Street Journal that he’s fully conscious of the bigger issues affecting society during this pandemic:
I look at it unemotionally right now...There are so many bigger things happening. I have friends who are losing businesses, restaurants, and other friends who have lost family members. The film will come out when it’s right. and it will perform in the context of this new world, in which no one really can define what success or failure means.
Waiting for No Time to Die to finally be released can’t be easy for Fukunaga or his cast and crew. Nevertheless, it’s good to see that he’s showing concern for others have been greatly affected by COVID-19.
The filmmaker’s sentiments also seem to line up with those of his star, Daniel Craig. Like Fukunaga, Craig has no problem waiting for the film’s release, as he only wants people to see it when it’s safe enough to do so.
It’s good to know that the creatives behind No Time to Die are taking the film’s delays in stride. Admittedly, it the wait has been hard, especially for the 007 faithful but, based on what we’ve seen from the film so far, it should be more than worth it.
No Time to Die is currently set to hit theaters on April 2, 2021.
