Daniel Craig explains why he is reprising his role as James Bond one last time in the upcoming film No Time to Die. The world was first introduced to Daniel Craig as 007 in 2006, in the much needed Bond revamp Casino Royale. Since then, Craig has portrayed the timeless movie icon in Quantum of Solace (2008), Skyfall (2012), and Spectre (2015), totaling four films as Bond.
In the years following the release of Spectre, there was much speculation about whether or not Daniel Craig would return as Bond. Craig had suggested that he was done with the role for good. There were also intense negotiations surrounding the distribution rights of the films, with five different studios bidding for the rights to the James Bond franchise, further adding to the uncertainty. Despite even having stated once that he would rather "slash his wrists" than play Bond again, Craig finally confirmed in 2018 he would reprise the role.
During an interview with Empire, Craig shed some light on the reason he would be returning to the James Bond role one last time for the franchise's 25th film. Craig explained, “If that had been it, the world would have carried on as normal, and I would have been absolutely fine.” He then continued, sharing that "it felt like we needed to finish something off. If I’d left it at Spectre, something at the back of my head would have been going, ‘I wish I’d done one more.’”
Craig also explained he had a vision of where he wanted the story to go, especially because of the continuing elements and threads which overlapped throughout the four James Bond films he has starred in. "I always had a kind of secret idea about the whole lot in my head, and where I wanted to take it," Craig explains. According to Craig, Spectre wasn't it, but he feels that No Time to Die is, and will do justice to the character and his arc.
It isn't difficult to understand why the actor would feel this way about ending his tenure as Bond. Craig has played the iconic MI6 agent for nearly a decade and a half. To many younger fans, he is the only Bond they have ever known. Whereas most Bond movies act as standalone stories, the Daniel Craig-era Bond films have had recurring story elements which connect the films throughout, so it seems fitting for Craig to help finish telling his iteration's story before passing on the torch to the next actor. In regards to the next James Bond actor, there have been plenty of names suggested, from Idris Elba to Richard Madden. Whoever ends up taking over as the next Bond, fans will look back fondly on the Craig-era and his modern take on the character. James Bond will return in No Time to Die, on April 8, 2020.
Source: Empire
