After what feels like forever, Daniel Craig's swan song as British secret agent James Bond
is approaching. Here's everything we know about No Time to Die, the 25th Bond film.
"No Time to Die" was originally scheduled for release in November 2019, but when original
director Danny Boyle dropped out due to creative differences, it was pushed back twice. Then,
COVID-19 arrived, and "No Time to Die" was delayed to April 2021 — becoming the first tentpole movie
from a major franchise to be delayed due to COVID-19. Finally, Universal pushed "No Time to
Die" back once again to October 8, betting that more movie theaters will be open in the fall.
"No Time to Die'' has a big cast with many returning characters along with some exciting
new additions. Many 007 franchise mainstays will be back, including Ralph Fiennes as M;
Ben Whishaw as Q; Naomie Harris as Moneypenny; Rory Kinnear as Tanner;
Jeffrey Wright as CIA Agent Felix Leiter; and Léa Seydoux as MI6 psychiatrist Madeleine Swann.
Christoph Waltz will also be reprising his role as villain Ernst Stavro Blofeld,
who was captured at the end of "Spectre" and is now in MI6 custody.
Newcomers include "Bohemian Rhapsody" star Rami Malek,
who will be playing the villain of "No Time to Die," the aptly named Lyutsifer
Safin. Lashana Lynch will play Nomi, a new 00 agent who joined MI6 after Bond's retirement,
and Ana de Armas will play Paloma, a CIA agent who teams up with Bond to battle Safin.
Those behind the camera are just as important as those in front of it when it comes to film
and television projects. Cary Joji Fukunaga — the genius behind "True Detective" Season 1 — directed
"No Time to Die." This marks the first Bond film for the director, for which he also co-wrote
the screenplay alongside Neal Purvis, Robert Wade, and "Fleabag's" Phoebe Waller-Bridge.
Purvis and Wade worked together on the screenplays for "The World is Not Enough,"
"Die Another Day," "Casino Royale," "Quantum of Solace," "Skyfall," and
"Spectre." It would have been shocking not to see their names on the credits,
and thankfully they were fully on board to write Daniel Craig's last film as 007.
The film is also executive produced by Chris Brigham, who boasts works
like "Inception" and "Argo." You also can't have Bond without producer Barbara Broccoli,
who's second credit ever was "License to Kill," and has worked on every Bond production since.
"The past isn't dead"
The trailer gives us a few hints of what to expect from the movie. Years after the events
of "Spectre," a retired 007 is recruited by his old ally Felix Leiter for one more mission. Soon,
Bond discovers that a man named Safin is behind a plot that could kill millions of people. As for
what Safin's supervillain scheme is specifically, we'll have to wait until October to find out.
In terms of themes, Fukunaga believes that "No Time to Die" is "the culmination of all
Bond has become." Daniel Craig's James Bond has been through a lot, from the death of his lover
in "Casino Royale" to the destruction of his childhood home in "Skyfall." It appears that
Craig's final chapter as Bond will see the character confronting his many, many demons
and possibly getting something like closure — until the next Bond comes along, anyway.
"This will be the final chapter for Daniel Crag"
The Daniel Craig-led 007 films are widely popular for their theme songs, which always manage to
capture each movie's overall tone. Adele's "Skyfall" theme was an Academy Award winner,
and Sam Smith also nabbed an Oscar for his "Spectre" theme song, "Writing's On the Wall."
It's no surprise that "No Time to Die" will feature a theme song by one of the decade's
most prominent artists — Billie Eilish. The young singer provides the vocals for the song,
also titled "No Time to Die." The track was released in October 2020,
putting its debut and the film's almost one year apart.
Additionally, the great Hans Zimmer serves as the composer of "No Time to Die,"
marking the legendary musician's first work on a Bond film.
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