After the release of Spectre, there was speculation that it would be Craig’s last Bond film. He infamously told the press that he would rather “slit his wrists than play Bond again,” though he later claimed the quote was taken out of context. By October 2016, he still hadn’t made a decision about his return, but in August 2017, he announced on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert that he would return for one last film. Producer Barbara Broccoli confirmed that the film would “tie up loose narrative threads” from Craig’s previous Bond films and “come to an emotionally satisfying conclusion.”
Before Craig officially signed on, development had already begun in February 2016. Franchise veterans Neal Purvis and Robert Wade returned to write the screenplay throughout 2017. In May 2016, Sam Mendes announced (for real this time) that he wouldn’t return to direct. The shortlist included Yann Demange, David Mackenzie, and Denis Villeneuve, though Villeneuve later removed himself from consideration to direct Dune. In 2018, Oscar winner Danny Boyle (Slumdog Millionaire) emerged as the frontrunner. John Hodge wrote a script based on Boyle’s idea, which was greenlit. Purvis and Wade’s draft was discarded. However, Boyle and Hodge left the project in August after disputes with the producers about the script. Cary Joji Fukunaga (Beasts of No Nation, season one of True Detective) was hired in September 2018, becoming both the first American director of an EON Bond film and the first with a writing credit.
Purvis and Wade were brought back in September 2018 to work with Fukunaga on a new draft. Paul Haggis (co-writer on Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace) and Scott Z. Burns (The Bourne Ultimatum, Contagion) contributed uncredited rewrites. At Craig’s insistence, Phoebe Waller-Bridge was brought in to polish the script in April 2019. Purvis, Wade, and Fukunaga shared a final “story by” credit, while they shared the “screenplay by” credit with Waller-Bridge. The film’s official title was announced on August 20, 2019. No Time to Die became the first EON-produced Bond film in which Bond actually dies. Craig had first proposed killing Bond back in 2006, after the premiere of Casino Royale. Broccoli agreed, and Craig explained, “It’s the only way I could see for myself to end it all… When he goes, he can’t come back.” Producer Michael G. Wilson added, “It’s the fitting way to deal with a situation where a person is risking their life all the time. Eventually, the odds catch up with you.”
With Craig confirmed, the cast was announced at an April 2019 event. Returning from previous films were Fiennes, Harris, Whishaw, and Kinnear as M, Moneypenny, Q, and Tanner. After sitting out two installments, Jeffrey Wright returned as Felix Leiter for the first time since Quantum of Solace. New cast members included Ana de Armas, Dali Benssalah, David Dencik, Lashana Lynch, Billy Magnussen, and Rami Malek. Malek signed on as villain Lyutsifer Safin but insisted his character’s motives not be tied to religion or ideology, to avoid stereotypes. After Spectre, reports surfaced that Christoph Waltz had signed on for further Bond films if Craig returned. Despite Craig’s confirmation, Waltz announced in 2017 that he wouldn’t return as Blofeld but gave no reason. Waltz’s casting was kept secret until revealed in the trailer in December 2019.
Filming began in April 2019, with the first sequences shot in IMAX (unlike Skyfall and Spectre, which were converted in post-production). Linus Sandgren, who won an Oscar for La La Land, served as cinematographer. Filming locations included Italy, Jamaica, Norway, the Faroe Islands, and London. In May 2019, Craig sustained an ankle injury in Jamaica and underwent minor surgery. Filming wrapped in October 2019. Dan Romer was announced as the composer but was replaced during post-production by Hans Zimmer, marking the first composer swap in a Bond film’s history. In January 2020, Billie Eilish was announced as the theme song performer, with her brother Finneas as co-writer and producer. The song, sharing the film’s title, was released on February 13, 2020, making Eilish the youngest artist to record a Bond theme at age 18.
The Sony Pictures contract to co-produce Bond films with MGM and EON expired after Spectre. In April 2017, Sony, Warner Bros., 20th Century Fox, Universal, and Annapurna Pictures bid for the distribution rights. MGM secured North American, digital, and worldwide TV rights through United Artists Releasing. Universal won international rights. The film was initially set for November 2019 but delayed to April 2020 after Boyle’s departure. Then, well… we all know what happened. The COVID-19 pandemic shut down theaters. On March 4, 2020, MGM and Universal pushed the release to November 2020, becoming the first major film to shift dates due to the pandemic. Daniel Craig even hosted Saturday Night Live on March 7, 2020, referencing the delay in his monologue. It turned out to be the last in-studio episode before the SNL at Home specials.
In October 2020, the release was delayed again to April 2021. In January 2021, with theaters still closed, it was pushed to October 8, 2021. When finally released, it grossed nearly $800 million. Reviews were generally positive, with critics saying it wasn’t the best Bond film but far from the worst. Many praised its satisfying conclusion, even if its 163-minute runtime felt excessive. The film holds an 83% on Rotten Tomatoes, a sharp increase from Spectre. Billie Eilish’s theme became the third consecutive Bond song to win an Oscar. Eilish also became the first Gen Z artist to win an Academy Award, repeating the feat three years later for Barbie.
In preparing for this blog, it was only my third time watching the film. I saw it solo in theaters, then with my dad on Blu-ray. Revisiting it three years later was a treat. I’ve made it clear that Skyfall is my favorite Bond film. I used to rank Casino Royale second, but as I write this, I think No Time to Die edges it out. I previously stated that I felt Casino Royale’s pacing dragged. Despite being 19 minutes longer, No Time to Die feels more efficiently paced. It’s slower than Skyfall but faster than Casino Royale or Spectre. I admired the cinematography and action sequences too.
Let’s talk about characters. Ralph Fiennes, Naomie Harris, Ben Whishaw, and Rory Kinnear are all great as M, Moneypenny, Q, and Tanner. I loved learning more about Q — seeing him at home prepping for a date was a nice touch. Jeffrey Wright’s return as Felix was a highlight. His camaraderie with Bond is so natural. From playing quarters in a bar to recruiting Bond for a rogue mission, their friendship makes Felix’s death more impactful.
I have to mention Léa Seydoux as Madeleine Swann. I felt her heartbreak when Bond put her on the train at the end of the 25-minute cold open (the longest in franchise history). I admired how she rebuilt her life with Mathilde, her daughter with Bond. After Blofeld’s deception, Bond believed she betrayed him — but in leaving her, he betrayed her. In Spectre, I wasn’t sold on their romance. I compared her to Vesper. But after this film, I believed in their relationship more. I loved how the film acknowledged Vesper and let Bond symbolically ask her forgiveness, allowing him to move forward emotionally.
I also enjoyed the new characters. Billy Magnussen is fun as Logan Ash, the overeager traitor. Ana de Armas steals the Cuba sequence as Paloma — her bubbly energy and admission she’d only trained three weeks were delightful. Lashana Lynch’s Nomi is a standout. She’s a badass but human — funny, vulnerable, even jealous when Bond regains 007 status. By the end, she’s one of Bond’s greatest allies.
Of course, not everything worked. I found the plot a bit convoluted, though at least I could follow it. I wasn’t a fan of Christoph Waltz’s Blofeld in Spectre, and here he felt wasted. He’s crucial to the story but easily could’ve been written out with a stronger script. Rami Malek as Safin was disappointing. I like Malek, but his villain felt cliché — yet another man seeking revenge for his family. And while his poisonous garden setup made him dangerous, I didn’t sense real menace from Malek.
Let’s talk about that ending. I loved it. I was shocked Bond died, but it felt fitting. Even more so knowing it was the last Bond film produced by Broccoli and Wilson. I was moved by the use of Louis Armstrong’s “We Have All the Time in the World” — a callback to On Her Majesty’s Secret Service. I’d never heard the song before, but I stayed in the theater listening to it during the credits. It was beautiful. Learning its significance made it even more powerful. Though some may disagree, I think it was the perfect way to end Craig’s Bond era.
Despite the credits promising “James Bond will return,” Broccoli and Wilson seemed in no rush to cast a new Bond. After Amazon’s acquisition of MGM in 2021, speculation ran wild. But by the end of 2024, no progress had been made. In February 2025, Broccoli and Wilson announced they’d step down as producers, though they’d remain co-owners. Their replacements: former Sony boss Amy Pascal and producer David Heyman. While I worry about franchise “conglomeratization” (I know that’s not a word, but it fits), I’m curious to see what’s next. Will they take their time crafting great films, or crank out mediocre sequels every 18–24 months? I hope they cast an inspired, unexpected actor — like Craig was. And I hope they keep Bond on the big screen where he belongs.
Well, those are my thoughts on the Daniel Craig Bond films. Thanks for sticking with me on this journey.