James Bond ‘No Time to Die’: All the 411 on the new 007
Daniel Craig’s tenure as James Bond will come to an end in the upcoming film, No Time to Die. Craig has played since 2005 with Casino Royale and has kept the role until 2020. For fans of Craig’s Bond, we’re sure it’s going to be heart-wrenching to say goodbye. With No Time to Die set to be Craig’s final send-off as Bond, here’s everything you need to know about the upcoming film.
Cast & Crew
Daniel Craig will play a newly retired James Bond. Also returning from previous films are Ben Whishaw as Q, Léa Seydoux as Dr. Madeleine Swann, Naomie Harris as Eve Moneypenny, Ralph Fiennes as M, Jeffrey Wright as Felix Leiter, Rory Kinnear as Bill Tanner, and Christoph Waltz as Ernst Stavro Blofeld.
New additions to the cast are Rami Malek (Mr. Robot) as new Bond baddy Safin. Malek describes his character as someone who “himself as a hero almost in the same way that Bond is a hero.” Lashana Lynch (Captain Marvel) will play the brand new 007, Nomi. Or, well, that’s what everyone reported her as. New character descriptions say that Nomi is a “00” agent that was activated after Bond’s retirement. Here’s hoping she will get to be 007 though.
Ana de Armas (Knives Out) plays CIA agent Paloma. Dali Benssalah (Nox) plays an adversary of Bond called Primo. David Dencik (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo) plays a character called Waldo. Billy Magnussen (Aladdin) will play a character called Ash.
No Time to Die will be directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga (Jane Eyre, Beasts of No Nation). Fukunaga also worked on the script with Bond franchise scriptwriters Neal Purvis and Robert Wade. In addition, Phoebe Waller-Bridge of Fleabag and Killing Eve frame has also worked on the script for No Time to Die.
Wait! Phoebe Waller-Bridge seriously?
Yes! The Killing Eve and Fleabag scribe were apparently asked to polish the script as the request of Daniel Craig. As Waller-Bridge told Deadline, this was to show that, yes, Bond is still relevant.
“There’s been a lot of talk about whether or not [the Bond franchise] is relevant now because of who he is and the way he treats women. I think that’s bollocks. I think he’s absolutely relevant now. It has just got to grow. It has just got to evolve, and the important thing is that the film treats the women properly. He doesn’t have to. He needs to be true to this character.”
What’s the plot for No Time to Die?
Bond is enjoying a very well-earned retirement in Jamaica at the start of the film, but things don’t stay quiet in James Bond’s life for long.
Per the synopsis, “Bond has left active service and is enjoying a tranquil life in Jamaica. His peace is short-lived when his old friend Felix Leiter from the CIA turns up asking for help. The mission to rescue a kidnapped scientist turns out to be far more treacherous than expected, leading Bond onto the trail of a mysterious villain armed with dangerous new technology.”
So. . .is Bond dying in this?
Yeah that’s the multi-million dollar question, isn’t it? Right now, we don’t know. Originally Danny Boyle (Trainspotting) was supposed to direct No Time to Die, but left the project over “creative differences”.
Rumors of those differences are that he and producers disagreed on whether or not killing Craig’s Bond was the best. Some say that the producers wanted it, others say that Boyle wanted it. Bond’s fate, however, remains tight-lipped by all. Makes sense, you gotta get people in those seats.
When is No Time to Die coming out?
No Time to Die will be released on April 8, 2020.
