Daniel Craig is justifiably proud of No Time To Die’s ending. Here’s why the actor is right about the powerful way his James Bond’s story concluded.
SUMMARY
Daniel Craig’s Bond story in No Time To Die ends with his noble sacrifice, solidifying that James Bond is genuinely dead.
Craig’s Bond rebooted continuity and explored 007’s past, psychology, and humanity, making his story a tightly serialized canon.
The franchise can move forward by embracing the theory that “James Bond” is a code-name, allowing for more creative freedom in casting and storytelling.
After the No Time To Die ending, it brought up the question of whether James Bond really died or not. Daniel Craig has discussed it and is right about how his 007 story ended.
The movie finds Bond and his love interest, Dr. Madeleine Swann (Léa Seydoux), kicking off blissfully simple new lives together, only for the arrival of the villainous Lyutsifer Safin (Rami Malek), ruining everything.
The challenge Craig, director Cary Joji Fukunaga, and the filmmakers faced was how to give James Bond a proper ending, and the actor who embodied 007 is justifiably proud of the sendoff they concocted for the British secret agent.
Before Daniel Craig’s tenure, James Bond had “died” several times in the past with various fake-outs, but the No Time To Die ending solidifies that James Bond is now genuinely dead.
Craig’s Bond rebooted continuity with a clarified 007 origin that established a new backstory separate from the other movies.
Craig’s Bond’s story is a tightly serialized canon that delves into 007’s past, psychology, and humanity.
In No Time To Die, James sacrifices his life to keep his love and their daughter Mathilde (Lisa-Dorah Sonnet), safe from a lethal virus Bond is infected with.
The No Time To Die ending meant that, for the first time, James Bond definitively dies a noble death onscreen.
No Time To Die brings Daniel Craig’s James Bond era to a close, but there are plenty of Easter eggs, references and nods to other 007s along the way.
Bond’s No Time To Die Sacrifice Was The Whole Point For Daniel Craig
The Death Of 007 Was Integral To Daniel Craig’s Final Bond Story
Daniel Craig has explained why he was pleased with James Bond’s death in No Time To Die. The actor said (via Variety) that 007’s demise had “weight” and “tragedy” — and Craig is correct that Bond choosing to die so that Madeleine and Mathilde could live was a heartbreaking but heroic way for 007 to go out.
Craig elaborated that being with the people he loves is all Bond wants in the world, but Safin’s (Rami Malek) virus weapon was “an insurmountable problem… and there’s nothing anybody can do about it.”
“The only thing that Bond wants in life is to be with the people he loves and that he can’t be with them, and therefore, there’s nothing worth living for.
And he would in fact endanger their lives, and that’s the last thing on earth he wants to do. So that element was incredibly important to sort of thread in there, because it couldn’t feel like a random act.
It had to have weight — without it, it wasn’t gonna work. And if we hadn’t have got that weight, I don’t think we would’ve done it. We would’ve found another way of ending it.”
Craig also joked that the original plan for Bond’s death was that he “eats a bad oyster,” but in all seriousness, the way No Time To Die depicts James’ touching sacrifice is perfectly fitting for the character Craig played throughout the saga.
Craig’s Bond differs from his predecessors because his 007 movies make the secret agent a three-dimensional, flesh-and-blood human being.
James falls in love twice in his films, with Madeleine becoming Bond’s one, true love after the death of Vesper Lynd (Eva Green) in Casino Royale.
Craig’s Bond is emotionally wounded and often torn between his sense of duty and wanting to walk away from MI6.
He also faces his adoptive brother, Ernst Stavro Blofeld (Christoph Waltz), the leader of S.P.E.C.T.R.E, and his arch-nemesis, who wants to destroy Bond.
No Time To Die also breaks the mold by giving James a canonical daughter, Mathilde.
For the first time, Bond puts his loved ones before his well-being, and he lays down his life so that he can protect them along with Queen and country from Safin’s deadly biological weapon.
At the end of No Time To Die‘s credits, it says, “James Bond Will Return,” although it won’t be Craig’s version of 007 fans see next.
No Time To Die boldly kills off James Bond in an unforgettable way that is an emotional and fitting payoff for Craig’s run as 007.
Bond’s demise is a choice he makes that is earned, tragically dying right when he finally has something and someone to live for besides the next mission.
Ultimately, No Time To Die is a grand finale that boasts an ending that future Bond movies will find difficult to equal or top.
Daniel Craig’s run as James Bond might be coming to an end, but there are some things the franchise should keep from his era.
How James Bond Is Returning Despite His Ending Death
Death Isn’t The End Of 007
It’s a tad confusing that No Time To Die’s ending features the straightforward death of James Bond yet also promises that Bond will return. Even so, the character’s return is very possible.
The chapter of Daniel Craig’s Bond has closed, but still, there are options to keep the renowned and lucrative series going.
No Time To Die’s ending proves that one Bond movie can tell its very own story — even breaking continuity with James Bond’s death — without damaging the entire franchise.
Especially now, writers have a great deal of creative license in how they decide to navigate Bond’s story moving forward.
As previously mentioned, the James Bond movie series still generates an enormous amount of both public interest and money; the spy’s return is not only possible but is more or less guaranteed.
Daniel Craig was the latest in a long line of actors who have played James Bond, and the role changing hands is a staple of the franchise.
Daniel Craig is a unique situation in that his Bond is confirmed to have died, but this obstacle in no way risks the future of the franchise.
From Moore’s camp humor, to Dalton’s tough edge, to Craig’s sensitive side, every James Bond actor brings something new to the role of super-spy 007.
The Best Next Step Is To Canonize All The James Bond Actors
Daniel Craig’s No Time To Die Death Can Galvanize Bond’s Unique Movie History
One way the franchise can move forward while acknowledging that Bond died in No Time to Die is by embracing a popular theory about the character that has been around for years.
The theory suggests “James Bond” is simply a code-name alongside the 007 numbers, and each Bond actor plays a new man taking on the position.
The death of Craig’s Bond allows the franchise to fully embrace this and offers more possibilities going forward.
If the franchise treats each actor playing Bond as a new character, it opens doors for more creative freedom in casting and narrative choices for James Bond — all without diminishing the impact of Daniel Craig’s Bond death.
Certainly, the vibe of the Bond movies needs to be captured, but if the future movies don’t have to worry about what came before, each version of Bond can be unique.
Bond can have a new life, background, and challenges that didn’t exist in other movies.
Filmmakers have the freedom to choose someone young to explore 007’s early years or pick an older actor to play a seasoned James Bond.
It also allows for diversity in the casting, not worrying about which actor might pass as a version of Sean Connery or Pierce Brosnan.
While No Time To Die might be the end of one James Bond, the next movie can establish that Daniel Craig is simply one of the dozens of men to legally change their entire identity, name included, as part of working for Her Majesty’s Secret Service.
From Sean Connery to Daniel Craig, find out how each Bond actor stepped into the iconic role and how they ultimately left the 007 franchise.
Could James Bond Actually Be Alive?
Daniel Craig’s Version Is Deceased, But The Name Lives On
Though it does seem like a bold strategy for the long-running franchise, there is still a lingering question about whether James Bond really died in the Time to Die ending.
It is hard to accept that such a beloved character with an iconic performance behind it could be killed off, even if there are plans to continue the franchise.
Hollywood has never been willing to kill off popular characters if there is still the potential to make money off of them. Even the original Bond author was shy about taking such a drastic step.
There are several instances in the 007 books when Ian Fleming seemingly toyed with the idea of killing off his famous character, including in From Russia with Love and You Only Live Twice. Of course, this was undone in the next book.
This suggests the door is open for the movies to follow suit and have Daniel Craig’s Bond revealed to be alive in the next installment.
There is another questionable aspect to this, however, as Craig himself insists he is done with the role.
Though Craig seems happy enough to move on to the Knives Out franchise and other projects, this would hardly be the first time an actor stated that they were done with their famous role only to return to it again.
Sean Connery walked away from Bond several times only to be convinced to return for a sequel.
is one of the most popular Bond actors ever, and while the No Time to Die ending is a fitting end for his character, his popularity suggests the door will always be open.
