Killing off James Bond was a plan that had never been carried out in centuries, and the title of the 2021 James Bond film,No Time to Die, suggests that the cinema’s decades-old character wouldn’t be dying just yet either. But the sixth actor to play the part,Daniel Craig, said that he wanted his iteration of the role to die in the most dramatic and “complete” way possible before passing on the gun to the next actor that would be playing the legendary spy.
Contrary to the title, James Bond died at the near end of the said film, making history as the firstIan Fleming-created character to die out of the 25 films that were produced within its 59-year cinematic existence. In an interview with theLos Angeles Times, the 54-year-old English actor spoke about his twoKnives Outfilms and his iconic 007 character, whom he played for five films between 2006 and 2021. Shock and surprise filled the theaters when James Bond died at the end of theCary Joji Fukunaga-directed film, but the actor wouldn’t have it any other way. “Two things, one for myself and one for the franchise,” said Craig, citing franchise “reset” as one major reason. “And I was like, ‘Well, you need to reset again.’ So let’s kill my character off and go find another Bond and go find another story. Start at [age] 23, start at 25, start at 30.”
The second reason he brought up was he wanted to step away from playing the character. “The other was so that I could move on. I don’t want to go back,” he also told LA Times. “I suppose I should be so lucky if they were to ask me back, but the fact is I need to move on from it. The sacrifice that he makes in the movie was for love and there’s no greater sacrifice. So it seemed like a good thing to end on.” Bond died using himself as a sacrifice to save two people: his love interest, Dr. Madeleine Swann, played byLéa Seydoux(Blue Is the Warmest Colour), and the daughter he just recently learned he had with Swann. And true enough, it seemed like a good call to finally kill off the character in a dramatic and complete fashion.
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While Craig has officially left the franchise, the film’s producer previously revealed viaDeadlinethat the search for a new James Bond has begun, confirming that “younger people” are no longer in the running. “We’ve tried looking at younger people in the past. But trying to visualize it doesn’t work. Remember, Bond’s already a veteran. He’s had some experience. He’s a person who has been through the wars, so to speak. He’s probably been in the SAS or something. He isn’t some kid out of high school that you can bring in and start off. That’s why it works for a thirty-something.”
No Time to Dieis now available on 4K, Blu-Ray, and DVD. Craig will reprise his Benoit Blanc role in the upcomingKnives Outsequel,Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, which will be released on Netflix on November 23. you’re able to watch the trailer below.
