Britain’s iconic secret agent James Bond will exclusively premiere on Facebook and Oculus headsets, Variety Magazine announced on Monday.
James Bond actor Daniel Craig’s last appearance in the Bond series, ‘No Time to Die’, will launch on Tuesday, according to the report, which confirmed Facebook would receive access to the red carpet rollout of the film at London’s Royal Albert Hall.
Facebook will broadcast the premiere from 17:30 to 19:05 BST on its platform and at Oculus Venues, where attendees can use Oculus VR headsets to for numerous virtual experiences.
Clara Amfo, BBC Radio 1 Producer, is set to host the event on Facebook’s social media channels. The move also features Hollywood superstars such as Rami Malek, Lashana Lynch, Lea Seydoux, Naomie Harris, and Ben Whishaw, among others.
Royal Family members Prince William and Kate Middleton, Duchess of Cambridge, Prince Charles, and Camilla Parker-Bowles, Duches of Cornwall, will also attend the event along with numerous stars.
Why Facebook and Oculus for the Premiere?
Variety explained how Oculus users on the Oculus Venues app will be able to access the red carpet live stream. The Menlo Park-based tech giant has also provided an augmented reality (AR) filter on Instagram to allow fans to recreate the James bond opening sequence.
Anna Higgs, Head of Entertainment Partnerships for Northern Europe at Facebook, said:
“This is undoubtedly one of the most hotly anticipated film releases of the past two years and a landmark 25th film in the beloved global franchise. With COVID restrictions still in place, it’s been a priority for us to work with the Bond team to ensure fans across our platforms are able to enjoy the build-up with friends and communities — wherever they are in the world”
The movie launch comes amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, which has delayed the release of the widely-anticipated film from April last year. The film is set for release across the United Kingdom on Thursday and on October 8 in the United States, according to reports.
The news comes as several entertainment events have moved to mixed reality (MR) form, including Stage Inc’s Stageverse event, which will see UK rock band Muse debut its first XR concert for attendees.
Australia also launched its world-renowned Splendour in the Grass festival as an XR-only event due to pandemic and lockdown restrictions earlier this year.
