When No Time to Die premieres in just a couple of weeks and Daniel Craig hangs his trusty Walther PPK, it will mark the end of an era for the James Bond franchise and the actor’s career, as it became obvious during an emotional speech to the film’s crew.
Suffice to say, Craig has endured a complicated relationship with the 007 role, at first having to deal with the criticism over his casting that nitpicked over the color of his hair or the rest of his physique. Fortunately for him, Casino Royale did dispel any doubts of how good of a James Bond he was. However, the role of James Bond has taken a physical toll on Craig as well, who is now 52, 15 years after accepting his license to kill from Eon Productions.
The video featuring the speech was shot in October 2019, when No Time to Die was wrapping up filming in London's Pinewood Studios for a Havana car chase scene that wasn’t filmed in the Caribbean due to Craig requiring ankle surgery that spring. In it, Craig is aptly wearing a tux as he addresses the filming crew that has accompanied him throughout these 15 years before becoming visibly emotional and failing to deliver the actual speech he had prepared for the moment.
Craig has talked about that night and his speech that came right after director Cary Fukunaga, and his reaction to it paints a stark contrast from the man who years ago would have rather “slit his wrists” than play 007 again. It seems quite fitting that Craig can now look back at James Bond and his tenure over 007 as one of the greatest honors of his life.
Gone is the 37-year-old man who was incredibly hesitant to assume the James Bond identity, and part of that might come from the satisfaction of walking away from 007 with a movie he feels happier about in No Time to Die. The actor’s James Bond legacy is best captured in movies like Casino Royale and Skyfall, though this entire cycle did a lot to introduce a new 007 who cried, had his heartbroken, smirked at his enemies, and quite frankly did it all.
No matter how badass No Time to Die's women are, MGM and Eon Productions have stated that there’s no chance of having a female 007 in the future. So as Craig joins Sean Connery and Roger Moore in the Bond pantheon, it’s time to go looking for that new spy who audiences can love again.
No Time to Die is set to release in the United States on October 8, 2021.
Source: @itsfilmthusiast