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No Time to Die: Open letter calls for Bond film to be postponed yet again amid coronavirus fears

'We have all waited over four years for this film,' reads the letter, 'another few months will not damage the quality of the film and only help the box office for Daniel Craig’s final hurrah'

Ellie Harrison
Monday 02 March 2020 18:11 GMT
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James Bond No Time to Die Trailer

No Time to Die’s release date has been postponed many times – and now a new open letter is calling for the film to be delayed yet again amid coronavirus fears.

Writers at the popular James Bond blog MI6-HQ.com have urged Eon, MGM and Universal to push back the film’s release until summer. It is currently scheduled to premiere in the UK on 3 April.

Tickets went on sale today for Daniel Craig’s final James Bond film, which has already been delayed three times.

In an open letter, MI6-HQ writers urged the companies to “put public health above marketing release schedules”.

“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,” said the letter.

“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?'"

Protesting the world premiere at the Royal Albert Hall in London, the writers noted its capacity is above the 5,000 person limit that affected countries are now banning for public gatherings.

“Just one person, who may not even show symptoms, could infect the rest of the audience. This is not the type of publicity anyone wants,” it stated.

“It’s just a movie. The health and wellbeing of fans around the world, and their families, is more important. We have all waited over four 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.”

Cary Joji Fukunaga, the director of No Time to Die, recently revealed that the film will see the character re-enter the spy game after a five-year hiatus.

The new film, he said, was an “essential” opportunity to discover exactly who the character of Bond is. “Where is he?” he asked. “After five years of retirement, who has he become?”

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