The James Bond film franchise has captivated men and women’s imagination (from all walks of life, ethnicity, and creeds) for decades.
Ian Fleming, the novelist who penned the original book series, intertwined both fact and fiction from his life as a naval intelligence officer in the British Navy throughout each story. Some of the more famous actors who have assumed the film roles of British Secret service spy 007 over the years range from today’s Daniel Craig to yesterday’s Pierce Brosnan, Roger Moore, and the recently deceased Scottish acting icon Sean Connery.
The Bond franchise is not a stranger to controversy and speculation over Lashana Lynch, the British female actor of Jamaican descent assuming future 007 roles will not disappoint. Furthermore, for some, this news, coupled with the film’s release postponement (due to the pandemic), is taking its toll.
Like most industries, the movie business has also been devastated by COVID-19. Unicorns like Netflix are attempting to do their part to help out-of-work creatives through a $100M fund. Also, Sean Parker, serial entrepreneur and co-founder of the former streaming service Napster created Screening Room to help both consumers watch new releases at home and split the revenue with theater chains bypassed in this model.
No Time to Die is the 25th Bond film and scheduled to be Daniel Craig’s last in the 007 roles. The film is trending to be the most costly of the entire franchise marked by product placements from brands such as Aston Martin, Omega, Adidas, and Heineken.
To protect ticket sales and project profitability, the film`s release date will now not occur until next year, and stakeholders on all sides are not happy.
From an integrated marketing communication standpoint, is it practical to pause the momentum of the film`s PR due to the pandemic? Also, based on the controversy surrounding the film is it safe to assume that communications to all stakeholders have been sufficient to this point? Finally, as a communications professional, would you have advised otherwise or taken a different direction than postponing the release date?
Once again, admiral Bond is in a sticky conundrum that many are excited to see play out (on and off-screen). The suspense is nearly paralyzing but it’s certainly No Time to Die.
References:
Collins, C. (2020). Top Brand Partnerships With James Bond: No Time To Die. Retrieved November 10, 2020, from https://blog.hollywoodbranded.com/top-brand-partnerships-with-james-bond-no-time-to-die
Crumlish, C. (2020, November 08). James Bond: New 007 Lashana Lynch opens up, taking over role in ‘revolutionary’ move. Retrieved November 10, 2020, from https://www.express.co.uk/entertainment/films/1357682/james-bond-no-time-to-die-new-007-lashana-lynch-daniel-craig-tom-hardy
FAUGHNDER, R. (2020, April 13). Amid coronavirus theater closures, Sean Parker’s controversial Screening Room returns, sort of. Retrieved November 10, 2020, from https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/business/story/2020-04-13/amid-the-coronavirus-crisis-sean-parkers-controversial-screening-room-stages-a-comeback
Lang, B. (2020, October 30). Breaking Down MGM’s Costly ‘No Time to Die’ Dilemma. Retrieved November 10, 2020, from https://variety.com/2020/film/news/no-time-to-die-james-bond-mgm-streaming-sale-1234819582/
NETFLIX AND AUDIENS ESTABLISH NEW COVID-19 FILM AND TV EMERGENCY FUND FOR HARDEST HIT WORKERS IN THE AUDIOVISUAL AND MOVIE SECTOR. (2020). Retrieved November 10, 2020, from https://about.netflix.com/en/news/netflix-and-audiens-establish-new-covid-19-film-and-tv-emergency-fund
Nugent, A. (2020, October 06). Daniel Craig defends the decision to delay the release of ‘No Time to Die’. Retrieved November 10, 2020, from https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/no-time-die-james-bond-daniel-craig-delay-release-cineworld-007-b830243.html
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