New footage from upcoming James Bond, Matrix and Batman sequels took center stage at the movie theater industry’s CinemaCon summit in Las Vegas Tuesday, as Hollywood executives struck a defiant tone about the future of the big screen.
A nine-minute clip from “No Time To Die” — billed as Daniel Craig’s final 007 outing, and the series’ 25th installment — showed Bond apparently awakening from an explosion in a picturesque Italian village, before launching into a series of car and motorbike chases.
Meanwhile, Warner Bros unveiled more footage from its formidable slate of new movies, including a trailer for the next Matrix sequel — now officially titled “The Matrix: Resurrections” — in which Keanu Reeves’ Neo appears confused by dreams of his past life.
The annual CinemaCon trade show sees Hollywood studios bring glitzy stars and never-before-seen footage to a Las Vegas casino to woo theater bosses. Although A-listers have largely stayed away from this week’s event amid Delta variant concerns, executives from studios and theater chains have tried to draw a line under a difficult year with an upbeat message.
“I’ll cut to the chase — James Bond’s coming out in October,” MGM film chief Michael De Luca reassured movie theater bosses to loud cheers, after the film had been delayed multiple times by Covid-19 and the studio itself was sold to streaming giant Amazon.
The 007 installment is of huge importance to movie theaters this year as Hollywood hopes to entice viewers back to cinemas despite the pandemic. ‘No Time To Die” picks up after 2015’s “Spectre,” with the loyalty of love interest Madeleine Swann (Lea Seydoux) now seemingly called into question.
Bond producers have insisted that future 007 films will still appear in theaters, despite the $8.45 billion takeover deal intended to boost Amazon’s streaming presence, as competition intensifies in the on-demand market.
