Bond fans are calling for the premiere of the upcoming No Time To Die movie to be postponed over concerns of the Coronavirus epidemic.
Writers for the M16-HQ website (the largest Bond fan blog and contributors to several books related to the film) have written an open letter to No Time To Die, producers, Eon, MGM, and Universal to delay the film’s release till summer.
The letter which was co-written by James Page (co-founder of the MI6 website) and David Leigh (founder of the James Bond Dossier) and hails the decision to cancel the movie’s China, South Korea, and Japan publicity tours.
It also expresses concerns about how going further with the film’s April release could lead to poor performance at the box office as well as endanger the lives of fans who normally show up in large numbers at screenings.
The letter goes further to state that different countries have already begun closing major events, canceling tentpole productions, and halting scheduled gatherings so as to curb the spread of coronavirus.
Part of the letter reads:
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. 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?
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’s just a movie. The health and well-being 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.
Eon, Universal, and MGM are yet to respond to the letter but it falls on them to do the right thing in the interest of all concerned.
