Daniel Craig thought he’d finished his James Bond career with “Spectre,” but the actor says his final fifth outing as the British secret agent in “No Time To Die” allowed him to complete his 007 journey.
After an 18-month delay due to the COVID-19 pandemic, cinema’s favorite spy, known for his love of fast cars and cool gadgets, returns in the highly anticipated 25th Bond film next week, nearly 60 years after the first Bond film “Dr No” premiered.
“No Time To Die,” which is expected to cost $200 million to produce, sees Bond come out of retirement from an idyllic life in Jamaica to help track down a new villain armed with lethal technology.
“I didn’t think I’d be doing another film after ‘Spectre.’ I honestly thought I was going to… just pack it in “Craig stated to Reuters.
“But I’m overjoyed that I was able to come and do this one. We also tidied up a lot of loose ends.
With all of my Bond films, we’ve attempted to tell a single story. It’s as if they’re all linked in some way, and this one just capped it off.”
The film, directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga, is nearly three hours long and promises the usual Bond action, car chases, and stunts in picturesque locations such as the cave dwellings of the southern Italian city of Matera.
It introduces a new character, Nomi, who is played by Black actress Lashana Lynch and is simply described as a 00 agent at Bond’s previous employer, Britain’s MI6 foreign spy service. She appears to be as fierce and skilled as Bond.
“She’s also a real person. She’s grounded and comes from a good family, and she seizes every opportunity and runs with it. She’s changed things at MI6 and will continue to do so “Lynch stated.
“It’s a watershed moment for Black women, my culture, and the franchise, which has been pushing the needle forward for a long time.”
Lea Seydoux reprises her role as Madeleine Swann from the 2015 film “Spectre.”
“Cary wanted to delve deeper into Madeleine’s character… In some ways, she is the film’s heartbeat, and her relationship with Bond is much more developed “Seydoux explained.
As the villain Safin, Rami Malek joins the franchise, one of Hollywood’s most valuable.
“I almost looked at every villain in film history to prepare for this,” he said on the film’s official podcast.
“No Time To Die” will have its world premiere in London on Tuesday, after being postponed three times since its original April 2020 date.
“I liked them all… “They’re always a bit of a struggle, but anything worthwhile is always a bit of a struggle, so this was a joy to make,” said Craig, who debuted as Bond in 2006’s “Casino Royale.” “..
“(I’m) enormously grateful to have been given the opportunity to do it, and… all of the memories and all of the incredible times… working with just fantastic, fantastic people… it’s changed my life… It’s simply incredible.”
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