In a conversation with Javier Bardem, James Bond actor Daniel Craig explains why No Time to Die ended in the way it did. No Time to Die was the 25th installment in the James Bond franchise, which is based on Ian Fleming’s novels and first began in 1962 with Sean Connery’s Dr. No. The film was pushed back several times due to COVID-19 related delays, but eventually released to widespread critical acclaim. Among the reasons for praise were the film’s bold narrative choices, Craig’s own performance, and the cinematography.
The film was Craig’s last outing as 007, and the film ended with the character’s death, in a sacrifice to save his family. The death of James Bond left many fans stunned, and came without warning as most expected the film series to continue as it did in the past. Since the film’s release, fans have been questioning the reasons behind the decision to kill Bond, and what it means for the future of the James Bond franchise.
Now, in a recorded conversation for Variety with fellow Bond star Javier Bardem, (who played the villainous Raoul Silva in Skyfall) Craig has shed some light on the decision to kill James Bond. Perhaps to the surprise of many, the actor said he wanted Bond to die in Casino Royale, and has been waiting for the right moment ever since. He shared his reflection that No Time to Die was the right time for the character's death due to the build-up of emotion in the film. Check out his full quote on the topic below:
I had this idea, I wanted to kill him off a long time ago - in Casino Royale - for all sorts of reasons. One, purely egotistical. I feel like I needed to end what I did on it. I would be only satisfied if I could walk away and there was nowhere else for that to go, that someone else would have to come along and invent something completely different. But also because I thought that was a good way for it to continue, and I knew that the only way to make it work was that it had to be based in love, and every time that we've gone emotionally into this, it pays back every time.
Skyfall is really a story of [Bond’s] love for [M], it's the relationship between [Raoul Silva] and [M], which is complicated and family-like, toxic. And every time we’ve really concentrated on that it’s paid dividends for us, and I was really keen with this, that that’s the way we had to go. I just tried to make myself involved with the things that mattered… I just knew where it had to end on, what it had to be, and it had to be a worthy death. If he stayed alive he would kill the people he loved, so, therefore there was no argument.
The decision to kill Bond was always going to be a controversial decision, however Craig’s comments give a lot of insight into the reasoning behind the character’s death. Nevertheless, the death of James Bond still raises questions which, up until now, the franchise has managed to gloss over. Unlike the regeneration of The Doctor in Doctor Who, which is recognized within the series’ story, the changing of James Bond actors is not integrated into the story. Instead, the character (and his supporting cast) are regularly recast, with inevitable inconsistencies mostly being accepted or ignored due to the series’ sheer longevity. The writers for next film will now have to decide how to progress; whether to reboot the franchise with a new actor as James Bond, to continue with a new actor and ignore the death, or to have a character not named James Bond lead the story (potentially his daughter, or Lashana Lynch's Nomi).
Following on from the end of No Time to Die there is no clear story path, but the decision to kill James Bond means that the next film will undoubtedly be one of the most interesting and consequential Bond films in the franchise’s long history. Fans have always been eager to discuss who might become the next Bond, and currently Idris Elba, Tom Hardy, Regé-Jean Page, and Henry Cavill are all in contention alongside other lesser known actors. Ultimately, it seems that no decisions have been made about the future direction of the James Bond films, so while there are plenty of unanswered questions about the franchise’s future fans will have to remain patient for answers.
Source: Variety