Summary

  • Despite James Bond's death in "No Time To Die," the character's return is inevitable due to the enduring popularity and historical reinvention of the franchise.
  • Killing off Bond doesn't make sense financially, considering the franchise's massive success, and the character has always been capable of reinventing itself while maintaining its legacy.
  • Bond's return will fuel increased audience interest, especially with speculation surrounding the new actor and the direction of the character and franchise. Killing Bond was never meant to bring the entire saga to a close.

Despite the movie's dramatic climax and seemingly definitive sense of finality, No Time To Die still declares that "James Bond will return". Although the signature title card, which bookends the film's end credits, is a regular feature in the Bond series, its presence here is somewhat surprising, given No Time To Die's conclusion. However, given James Bond's storied place in cinema, it is perhaps inevitable that the character will make a comeback, but fans are still left wondering can there be another James Bond if he's dead. Unlike other James Bond movies, No Time To Die takes the radical decision to kill Bond during the film's conclusion.

Unfortunately, thanks to the intervention of Safin, Daniel Craig's James Bond is forced to make the terrible choice between saving himself and ensuring the facility's destruction in No Time To Die's ending. He opts for the latter, sacrificing himself in order to destroy the base and save the world. No Time To Die's ending is tough to watch, even if the literal and more figurative deaths of Craig's Bond tie his segment of the franchise up quite nicely. In addition to the bittersweet nature of No Time To Die's conclusion, there are also plenty of lingering questions still in the air by the time the film's credit card hits the screen.

How Can There Be Another James Bond If He’s Dead?

Bond looks up just before his death in No Time to Die

Considering that not only does Bond's death in No Time To Die seem very real and straightforward but also that it represents the definitive end of Daniel Craig's tenure in the role, the revelation that James Bond will return might seem slightly surprising. However, both because of the enduring popularity of the franchise and the character's historic reinvention, there are several reasons why the saga may well continue to expand both after the departure of its main superstar and the death of its titular character. In fact, given the wider historical context of the James Bond character, the promise of a new evolution for the franchise is actually extremely exciting.

A key consideration when discussing whether James Bond has a future post-Craig is the continuing popularity of the character. The franchise is already among the most financially successful of all time, netting an estimated $14.2 billion before the release of No Time To Die. As a result, killing such a lucrative cash cow simply doesn't make sense. In addition, despite the self-contained story arc running throughout Craig's films, Bond has always been capable of reinventing itself with little care for continuity. In fact, Craig's entire time in the role has made it clear just how it's possible to successfully re-imagine the character, without destroying the long-established legacy.

Although No Time To Die's ending is definitely a significant chapter in the history of the James Bond films, there are plenty of ways to bring a fresh perspective to the character, completely separate from what's come before. As such, Bond's return was always going to be a matter of if, rather than when James Bond will return. It's also important to consider that a change in personnel, coupled with the latest movie's shocking conclusion, may well mean that interest in the next installment will be even higher than usual – with intense speculation over the possible direction of the character and the wider Bond narrative.

In all likelihood, this could fuel an increased demand from audiences, ensuring the continued success of the saga. Another vital factor when considering a post-Craig future for Bond is that, although killing his character in No Time To Die is certainly a bold move, the wider context around the James Bond movies means that it was never going to be a definitive step. While the movie represents an end of sorts, it was never going to bring the entire saga to a close.

Who Will Be The Next James Bond?

James Bond No Time To Die Daniel Craig Eilish

At this point, it's unclear who will return as James Bond after Daniel Craig's exit from the franchise. There is, however, an exciting list of possible contenders. For years, rumors have circulated around the likes of Tom Hardy, James Norton, Idris Elba, Cillian Murphy, Henry Cavill, Regé-Jean Page, and more regarding who will assume Craig's mantle. All the aforementioned artists have proven they have the acting chops for a role like Bond, especially having played serious and/or tough parts in other projects of theirs. With the acting capacity for such a tone in mind, it's clear how the actors could each make James Bond's character their own, while also continuing the franchise with an approach that remains similar to Daniel Craig's iteration.

There's been controversy around the idea of Idris Elba taking over as Bond in recent years. There was a notable amount of backlash against the concept of changing the MI6 agent's skin color. In 2014, Elba was specifically mentioned as a solid casting option for the part in a leaked e-mail from a senior executive at Sony Pictures, thus sending rumors swirling. Elba has voiced disappointment over this widespread, negative reaction, even telling People that he was "disheartened" by it. Despite this, he did say that he would still take the role if it was offered to him when James Bond will return. This is phenomenal news, as he's proven on The Wire (as Stringer Bell) and Luther (as the show's titular detective) that he knows how to effectively inhabit a fierce, and often simultaneously smooth, character.

The main problem with the argument against changing Bond's race is that, if No Time To Die has proven anything, it's that the series' main character can be modified. Daniel Craig's James Bond has shown that the character can even be killed off, and, as previously discussed, has done so without putting the franchise to rest for good or damaging a sense of continuity. With one Bond dead, another will undoubtedly emerge. And, when moving on to another actor to be the face of James Bond, filmmakers will have extensive freedom in who they pick for the role; the proverbial door has been left wide open after Craig's departure.

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Daniel Craig's James Bond Was One Of The Most Significant So Far

No time to die daniel craig james bond sean connery

In the 2000s, the James Bond franchise was in a tough spot. The world had watched Pierce Brosnan take the role and look perfect as 007. However, while Brosnan looked the part, he continued the tongue-in-cheek nature of the Roger Moore era. While Moore took the franchise into space and sustained an absurdist atmosphere throughout most of his appearances, Timothy Dalton's more grounded portrayal was not something fans were ready for yet. Brosnan picked up where Moore left off, with everything culminating with an invisible castle. By the time Daniel Craig took the role, fans were tired of that.

Instead, movies like The Bourne Identity had taken storylines that would have fit Sean Connery's James Bond and grounded it in reality. While many fans hated Craig as Bond when he was cast because he was blonde, all it took was Casino Royale to win fans over. What resulted was a new era that brought 007 back to the role of a box office champion once again. This was because Craig took Bond back to the Sean Connery days. However, unlike Connery and his violent tendencies, Craig's Bond was a blunt instrument while also vulnerable with tragic flaws.

By the end of his run as James Bond, Daniel Craig had reinvented 007 for a new post-9/11 generation, and he helped erase the over-the-top bombastic Pierce Brosnan movies. It won't take long, but James Bond will return, and when he does, he has a lot to live up to. George Lazenby couldn't live up to Sean Connery's Bond. Fans wouldn't accept Timothy Dalton after Roger Moore's performance. Craig was lucky to step into the role after Pierce Brosnan wore out his welcome. Whoever replaces Craig has big shoes to fill, and the franchise has to find the perfect person to carry the role without missing a step.

What Daniel Craig Said About James Bond's Death

Daniel Craig as James Bond 007 smiling with blissful resignation as he's about to be blown up by a missile in No Time To Die

While the question of how can there be another James Bond if he's dead lingers for many fans, the decision to kill off Daniel Craig's Bond was an obvious one for Craig himself. While fans were hesitant about Craig taking the role of Bond, the actor himself had a lot of reservations. He was wary of the idea of playing one role for so long and he spoke publicly about his dissatisfaction with some of the movies as well as the demands of the role. As it turns out, those factors helped to bring about the idea of killing off Bond way back in 2006. Craig told Variety:

I don’t know if it sounds disingenuous, I said to Barbara a long time ago, back in 2006, ‘If I do all of these movies, and we get it right, can we kill him off,’ and she said, ‘Yes, you can.’ And I was thinking about myself, about my postponed career and I was trying to think of how that would work and but I was also thinking what they did with Casino Royale – they had the chance to reset with that because they went back to the beginning. I thought you’ll have a chance to reset again. That kind seems to be like a good move.

It was a bold idea from Craig so early on in his tenure as Bond, but his making that realization made it clear that he understood the franchise and what could be done with it. Craig is also right to credit Casino Royale for helping make Bond's death in No Time to Die possible as that movie rebooted things while also bringing back Judi Dench's M from the Brosnan era. It helped to establish that continuity between these movies is not really that important at this point and freed the franchise to take more risks. Craig also acknowledges there is obviously more to come:

He’s not really dead. I’m gone, but it says right at the end [of No Time to Die] that Bond will return, so he must return at some point.