April 13, 1953 will always be an important day for the history of the James Bond movies. It’s the day that Ian Fleming’s first 007 book, Casino Royale, was published, and it’s also commonly accepted as James Bond’s birthday. To that effect, and in honor of celebrating that occasion, an easter egg from Daniel Craig’s era of Bond films has been shared through the 007 social media presence.
Naturally some liberties were taken with the prop passport that the James Bond Instagram shared from 2006’s Casino Royale. While the month and day match between the modern Bond reboot and its literary inspiration, the year is obviously a bit different. Take a look at the photo below and see if you can spot another easter egg of sorts in 007’s travel document:
For those of you who noticed Daniel Craig’s actual birth year of 1968 being incorporated into the April 13th date, congratulations! You might have the makings of a spy in you yet. Though that leads to the even more intriguing detail of how the sixth actor to play James Bond was born on another important day in franchise history. While it was six years after Sean Connery filmed his first utterance of “Bond, James Bond,” Daniel Craig’s actual birthday falls on the same exact month and date of March 2nd, when Dr. No came out in 1962.
Easter eggs aren’t just for the movies either, as you can venture to a real-life landmark honoring Daniel Craig’s final James Bond appearance in No Time To Die. Thanks to a new walking tour offered by the Farroe Islands, you can now visit 007’s tombstone, placed in the very spot where he was blown to bits. Even that information has the potential to become outdated, as James Bond's official resting place notes his death in 2021, and the new 007 will more than likely be rebooted into his new incarnation. Loose continuity can only go so far in cases of definitive reboots of continuity, and the resulting casualties.
Knowing that the passport in Casino Royale has this special touch that further combines James Bond and Daniel Craig’s personal histories, it also helps this particular 007 era stand out even further. Never before was an actor so personally connected or involved with their fate in the James Bond series, which was readily apparent from the moment Daniel Craig negotiated his No Time To Die exit. All interested parties will probably be on the lookout for whatever the new year on Bond’s passport may read. At the very least, we know the month, day and name that will already be present when the time comes.
Though we aren’t any closer to finding out who the next James Bond will be, anyone looking to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the cinematic 007 franchise has a great excuse coming in the near future. As of April 15th, all 25 of Bond movies, including No Time To Die, will be streaming for a limited time on Prime Video. So you may want to renew your Amazon Prime subscription soon, as you won’t want to miss out on any of the fun.
