The end of an era is dawning on the James Bond franchise. No Time To Die will mark Daniel Craig’s last moments as 007 after fifteen years of portraying the legendary tuxedo-ed agent. For the years leading up to Craig’s final martini, fans have been speculating about who should play him next, to a resounding silence from the filmmakers.
So what’s the hold up? After all, it's official that No Time To Die will end Daniel Craig’s tenure as 007. Producer Barbara Broccoli revealed why his replacement has not been picked out with these words:
I always say: you can only be in love with one person at a time. Once the film’s come out, then some time will pass, and then we’ll have to get on to the business of the future. But for now, we just cannot think about anything beyond Daniel.
There you have it. It’s still Daniel Craig’s moment, might as well bask in those baby blues while we can. Even though Broccoli’s words to Total Film may be discouraging to fans waiting for an announcement about the next Bond, it’s a smart strategy for the franchise.
If we were busy getting caught up in the hype (or disappointment) surrounding the next 007 era, we might get too ahead of ourselves and miss Daniel Craig’s final goodbye. Barbara Broccoli continued to talk about picking the new Bond with the following:
It will have to be reimagined, in the way each actor has reimagined the role. That’s what is so exciting and fun about this franchise; the character evolves. Eventually, when we have to think about it, we’ll find the right person.
“Eventually” is the key word here, I’m afraid. Everyone from Idris Elba to Tom Hardy have been nominated by fans, with betting odds for Harry Styles recently increasing and Henry Cavill sharing his interest in the role. There have been a number of discussions about how the franchise should expand the character, whether it’s through casting the first non-white Bond or a woman. Broccoli confirmed they would consider men of color for the role, but are against making the inherently masculine role a woman just for the sake of it.
The last time there was a changing of the guards was in October 2005, when a then 37-year-old Daniel Craig was announced to be the sixth official James Bond. The news came three years after the release of Pierce Brosnan’s last outing in 2002’s Die Another Day. What happened then sounds exactly like how Barbara Broccoli has explained. It could be years before we find out, and at the very least, the producers are going to want to wait until No Time To Die is released.
The wait for No Time To Die has certainly been longer than expected. The movie faced delays while it was in development as far back as 2018, when Danny Boyle was replaced with Cary Joji Fukunaga as director of the film. No Time To Die faced a number of release date shifts within the past year, with its slot now in April 2021, a full year from its intended date at the start of 2020.
No Time To Die hits theaters on April 2, 2021. You can check out what other movies are set for next year with CinemaBlend’s 2021 release calendar.
