I don’t think that they are focusing on Bond 26 right now at all. They are praying and hoping that they can release NTTD in the near future somehow and that’s their main focus, nothing much else.
More to the point how will MGM get through this? Will B26 have to wait until they get their heads above water again?
If they survive Social distancing. They seem to have put everything on No Time To Die being one the biggest films of 2020, and now any cinema even being open in 2020 is not guaranteed.
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I’m sure they are hoping the situation resolves asap so they can release their baby on us, but that’s out of their hands.
So, if they’re spending this time in front of their personal shrines praying to the god of viruses to get the cinemas open, then they’re not fit to run a business.
Personally i think they’re more than fit, which is why they’ll use down time productively rather trying not to let all their good-luck-fingers and toes uncross.
If you could do nothing about the NTTD situation, would you simply sit on your hands and wait?
From what we’ve seen of both parties this century, I think they probably are just waiting. Neither seem like the most proactive of companies.
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Fair enough, i take back my opinion of their fitness 
In the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s that would have been the case and there would have been at least a first draft of a screenplay ready for the next movie, but the last twenty years that’s not the case anymore and right now it looks like they are probably happy NTTD was finished and ready before the corona outbrake and releasing this movie in the near future (and tacking all the problems which will occure) is their main focus and I don’t think much more.
I’ve said (hopefully) the very same in the recent past.
That said, money has already been spent on a product that is currently unable to make any returns. And that which will require more spending before it surfaces.
Any wishful thinking that they (Eon) can crack on with the next film will require money. Am quite sure that any funds are already spoken for, and any that are left are slim.
So, IF anyone wanted to press ahead with a next Bond script… from where would the money come? Who would put it up? Who indeed would Have it to put it up?
MGM? No bloody way.
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Really? Because I’ve read a lot of stories about actors being cast after taping an audition in their bathroom.
It being the bathroom has something to do with light and/or acoustics.
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The problem is when
The studios don’t know when they are going to be making films to know when they’ll need cast and crew. These are freelance artists and craftsmen, the actual dates are really important.
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I admire your optimism, though 
Perhaps I shouldn’t say it, but I’ve long since thought that BB’s work ethic is considerably less than her father’s. At least as far as Bond is concerned, of course, as she has given us a couple of other films since SP. That’s only fair to point out.
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It’s probably more a reflection of how film production and film projects have changed since Cubby’s day rather than anything to do with BB.
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Certainly can’t argue with your pragmatism. Indeed a writer would justifiably want an advance. But in terms of zooming directors to talk over their interest and casting ideas and then zooming those actors - that wouldn’t require payment.
I don’t see them casting Bond without shooting them in the tried and tested scenes. But as an audition for the audition, any port in a storm!
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I would very much doubt that any concrete work will have been done on B26 during this crisis. For one, nobody has any idea when we’ll actually see NO TIME TO DIE. Second, there’s no way that they’ll have any idea as to what kind of film they’ll want to make, as the world we’ll re-enter after the Covid crisis will be a vastly different one than the one we retreated from back in March. Even if they came up with something truly great right now, it will almost certainly be dated by the time they get around to making it, not to mention that there might be some kind of story that they want to tell that presents itself during the crisis. Third, they won’t be able to cast Bond #7 until things return to normal. They’re not going to cast him over Skype or via a bathroom audition tape. He’s going to have to go through the same process that the rest of them have. I would venture to guess that we’re looking at, at least, 2025 for Bond #7 to make his debut.
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We also have no idea what the state of cinema will be going forward. First order of business is getting through this in one piece as a society.
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I think Dalton hits on the key point here. In my state, the governor first said that New York State was going to hit “pause,” with the implication being that once the pandemic was over, things would start up again where they left off. When he said it, it was great phrasing–reassuring and confident, but it is clear now that this will not be the case. The kind of movies (if any) that will get people out of the house and into the cinemas will only be discovered through a lengthy and costly process of trial and error.
The first attempt will be to release what is already made and see if there is an appetite for it, and if there is, how large it is. Unfortunately, the movie industry(ies) will lack the nimbleness of post-WWII Hollywood–that ability now lies with cable and streaming services. So it could be a while before movies released in theatres reflect the changed appetites of filmgoers no matter how quickly they are perceived.
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Yes, I should think so too. That’s a good point.
I don’t expect NTTD to open this year but if it were to open safely in the fall and was one of the early movies in the comeback I think it would need far less advertising than normal. It would have large news coverage on its own.
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No doubt about it - but it would also mean taking a significant risk where it’s not yet clear how many people will want to return to the classic cinema experience.
Right now it’s truly not fathomable how the relief about an easing of the lockdown regime is maybe outweighed by people’s concerns for their health. We know not yet how a second or third wave might influence behaviour, nor how bad they might hit health systems. If an autumn release of NO TIME TO DIE indeed happens, which I don’t believe in, then it will be a considerable gamble.
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Thanks to a small population and outstanding leadership I can only see New Zealand being ready to open cinemas for any profit by November.
Perhaps if Boris had acted quickly, decisively prioritising lives over the economy, then there’d be a slim chance of audiences returning to cinemas by November.
But thanks to the world’s worst handling of the virus it’s not practically possibly to open cinemas by November imo.
Even if the Tories Bombarded us with downward-curve numbers to convince people to take such a risk, the mess made so far has probably eroding trust to the point where no amount of campaigning would convince anyone but the foolhardy to go sit in a dark room full of strangers.
Sadly though i imagine pressure from rich Tory donors revealed this weekend to get people spending again will lead to a far worse second wave in the midst of flu season. To quote TND it could “Make Chernobyl look like picnic.”
Maybe Boris’ has had a epiphany, but if acts according to form, then if I were BB I’d book a release spot next summer.
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