The James Bond franchise is one of the most iconic film properties of all time, having never been far from theaters over the years. Daniel Craig is coming up on his fifth and final turn as 007 with Cary Joji Fukunaga's No Time to Die. The highly anticipated blockbuster will feature a new theme song by Grammy winning singer Billie Eillish, which she wrote with her brother/collaborator Finneas O'Connell. And it turns out that Daniel Craig actually had a major role in the deciding of each Bond movie's original song. So did he veto another version of the track?
Each new Bond movie comes with its own iconic theme song, which plays in the franchise's signature title sequences. Some truly iconic tracks have arrived over the years, including "Goldfinger", "Live and Let Die", and "Die Another Day." Daniel Craig's time as 007 is notable for its embrace of serialized storytelling, but Craig also gets a say in the various theme songs that have accompanied his tenure in the role. Billie Eillish and Fonneas O'Connell recently spoke to this dynamic when working on No Time to Die's title track, saying:
Finneas O'Connell: Well, this is the first song I know Daniel's opinion of, of ours.Billie Eilish: That's true.Finneas: Well, he had to like it.Billie: Now. [As if he didn’t like it before]Finneas: If Daniel doesn't like it, you don't get the job.Billie: He's got a big say in it, we learned that from this.
Well, that's certainly interesting. Daniel Craig has obviously been very involved in the James Bond franchise, having spent the last decade playing the MI6 agent with the license to kill. And it turns out that's especially true when it comes to his movie's theme songs. Aka he's given his thumbs up with the iconic tracks like "Writing's On The Wall" and "Skyfall." Mind. Blown.
Billie Eilish and Finneas' comments come from their recent conversation with BBC about their new song "No Time to Die." The songwriting duo are very hot right now, having won a slew of Grammys for their debut album When We All Fall Asleep Where Do We Go? But despite Eilish's growing star power and various award wins, she still needed Daniel Craig's thumbs up before officially landing the title song to No Time to Die. That's just the power that comes with wielding Bond's martini and PPK.
No Time to Die marks the end to Daniel Craig's time as Bond, and his fifth appearance as 007. While it seemed he might step away after completing the press tour for Spectre, he eventually decided to return for one more appearance. Bond's journey throughout the last four movies will come to a head with Cary Joji Fukunaga's upcoming blockbuster, which will feature plenty of returning characters. And in addition to filming his sometimes dangerous role in No Time to Die, he was also involved in its theme song, giving Billie Eilish his blessing in the process.
As a reminder, you can check out Billie Eilish's song "No Time to Die" below, which features a haunting melody and some iconic James Bond sound effects.
Well, you can really understand why the above track resonated with Daniel Craig. It's moody and tense, and the classic Bond sound effects/ending really help elevate the track and connect it to the greater franchise. But did another version come across Craig's desk before the one that Billie Eilish released? It's currently unclear.
Throughout Daniel Craig's tenure as Bond, there have been some really iconic songs written for the franchise. Each song is also very different from the rest, which might indicate that Craig has an eclectic taste of music. That, or he's simply appreciate of a few different genres, and gave his approval based off which song would best represent its corresponding Bond movie.
Casino Royale marked Daniel Craig's debut as Bond, and the track "You Know My Name" was an energetic track that helped to kickstart the franchise back up. This harder rock sounded continues with Alicia Keys' "Another Way To Die", which accompanied the release of Quantum of Solace. From there things take a pivot, as U.K. vocalists Adele and Sam Smith brought stunning vocals and a more emotional core to "Skyfall" and "Writing's On The Wall." Billie Eillish will certainly be bringing down the mood with "No Time to Die" marking the first time an American vocalist has sung Bond's theme song in two movies.
No Time to Die will hit theaters on April 10th. In the meantime, check out our 2020 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.
