One of the most highly-anticipated films to still (potentially) come out this year is No Time to Die, the twenty-fifth installment in the James Bond franchise. The film has already been forced to delay its release due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but is currently shooting for a release in November of this year. Assuming that the film is able to make that release date, it sounds like the official premiere could have a surprising omission from its guest list. According to a new report from The Sun, Ben Affleck has seemingly been asked not to attend the premiere of No Time to Die, the cast of which includes his current girlfriend, Ana de Armas. As a source claims, the film’s producers are worried that Affleck and de Armas’ relationship would overshadow other aspects of the premiere, namely the fact that it will be Daniel Craig‘s final outing as James Bond.
“This film premiere has been a long time coming and franchise bosses want the spotlight to be on the stars of the film,” the source explains. “It would be a disaster if it was all about Ben’s mushy PDAs with Ana overshadowing the event. A circus sideshow is strictly off the menu and the head honchos want to keep it all on-brand.”
Given how much buzz has surrounded candid sightings of Affleck and de Armas together – including countless paparazzi photos of the pair publicly doing things like walking their dog and getting Dunkin Donuts coffee – it is safe to assume that their appearance on a red carpet would create quite a stir. Of course, with months away from No Time to Die‘s expected premiere, there is a chance that the rumor could turn out to be moot by the time the red carpet actually rolls out (which could ultimately end up being summer of next year, anyway).
No Time to Die will follow Bond as he has left active service and is retired in Jamacia. His peace is short-lived when his old friend Felix Leiter from the CIA turns up asking for help, leading Bond onto the trail of a mysterious villain armed with dangerous new technology. The cast of No Time to Die will also include Lashana Lynch, Naomie Harris, Lea Seydoux, Ben Winshaw, Jeffrey Wright, Rami Malek, and Ralph Fiennes.
What do you think of this No Time to Die rumor? Do you think Ben Affleck is really banned from the film’s premiere? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!
No Time to Die is currently scheduled to be released on November 20th.
Tim M. Hill helped bring Digital-Overload from a weekly newsletter to a full-fledged news site by creating a new website and branding. He continues to assist in keeping the site responsive and well organized for the readers. As a writer to Digital-Overload, Tim mainly covers mobile news and gadgets.
