If you’re a fan of James Bond films, you probably remember several years ago, after finishing “Spectre,” when Daniel Craig joked that he’d rather slash his wrists than do another film in the franchise. That seemed to be pretty definitive. Well, here we are on the eve of the release of “No Time to Die,” Craig’s seriously, for real this time final Bond film. And in a new interview with EW, the actor explained why he came back after not wanting to do another and what he’s going to miss most about the 007 franchise.
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Craig talked about his feeling that he was done after “Spectre” mainly coming down to his physical exhaustion and injuries. The actor said that he broke his leg and didn’t know if he could physically do another Bond film. But after some much-needed time away from the franchise, he got the idea for “No Time to Die,” and his excitement grew.
“But I had a break,” Craig explained. “It was five years, and we had an idea, an idea that I’d had on ‘Casino Royale.’ I spoke to Barbara [Broccoli, Bond franchise producer] about it, and she said, ‘Yeah, go for it.’ We expanded that idea, and that became the plot or became at least what we were aiming for, and I’m very, very, very happy we did.”
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So, as we know, filmmaker Danny Boyle was hired to helm the film, but eventually, he left due to creative differences. The reins were then handed to Cary Fukunaga, who ended up starting from scratch and actually got “No Time to Die” into production. Now, Craig has no trouble admitting this is the end of the line for his version of 007. And with an ending that comes 15 years after his first film in the series, “Casino Royale,” you can understand how the actor is going to miss the role that skyrocketed his career.
“I’ll miss everything, I think,” said Craig about leaving the Bond franchise. “I’ll miss the collaboration. I mean, hopefully, I’ll keep working and I’ll have lots of other lovely jobs, but it’s very, very, very rare air. Apart from Marvel movies, there aren’t movies that are as big as this. I’ve had the privilege of being involved in it. … It was there before me, and it will be there after me. But I’ve had a chance to be part of all of this, and if you can’t get it up for a Bond movie as an actor, what can you get it up for? So, yeah, I’ll miss it a lot.”
“No Time to Die” is set to hit US theaters on October 8. As for who is going to take over the role of James Bond after Craig? Well, we won’t find out the answer to that question until 2022 at the earliest.