No Time to Die – What you need to know!

It’s been 6 years since 007 took to the big screen, 2 years longer than expected due to you-know-what. So here’s what you need to know before going into No Time to Die – Out Friday 8 October and on sale now!

Daniel Craig’s Final Bond Film

That’s right, Daniel Craig is hanging up the bow tie and Aston Martin keys! After 15 years and 4 iconic films, No Time to Die will be the conclusion to this iteration of Bond. Daniel Craig has ventured much further than Bond in recent years, with wonderful performances in Knives Out (2019) and Logan Lucky (2017). There’s more to his acting range than we’ve gotten to experience, so here’s to the future of more diverse opportunities. Fingers crossed we’ll be seeing Knives Out 2 in 2022!

As for the supporting cast members; Ralph Fiennes, Naomie Harris and Lashana Lynch, it’s unclear whether their roles will carry forward. Will we have a Doctor Who-esque transition, or a hard reset? Only time will tell, but for now the speculation of replacement Bond’s continues.

Behind Bond – Cary & Phoebe

No Time to Die brings an interesting mix of crew, notably Director Cary Joji Fukunaga and Screenwriter Phoebe Waller-Bridge. For those unfamiliar, Fukunaga is a wildcard choice for a Bond Director. The role is typically filled by a less unique individual, capable of carrying the baton from their predecessor. His previous work includes Netflix’s first feature film Beasts of No Nation (2015) and the baffling miniseries Maniac (2018). Fukunaga is brash, bold and unforgiving in his approach to Directing, pushing actors to their emotional ranges. This should have come in handy with concluding the story of a usually stern Daniel Craig.

Meanwhile, the more familiar of the two, Phoebe Waller-Bridge joined the screenwriting team during production. Reportedly the script required a little more comedy to offset the action. After the monumental success of Fleabag and Killing Eve, Waller-Bridge has become a huge star on both sides of the Atlantic, even landing her a role in Disney’s Solo (2018). While it may have been comedy they were looking for, she certainly knows how to write powerful women. This only furthers the franchise as No Time to Die sees a more diverse range of strong women than ever before in a Bond film. Don’t be surprised if Waller-Bridge sticks around on the writing team for future projects with her multi award winning wit.

What happened last time?

Now for a quick rundown of where we left off. In 2015s Spectre, we discovered that 007’s personal demise was orchestrated by his foster brother, Ernst Blofeld (Christoph Waltz). Blofeld founded Spectre, an organisation who’s members included Le Chifre (Mads Mikkelsen, Casino Royale) and Raoul Silva (Javier Bardem, Skyfall) whom reeked havoc upon the globe. Joined by Madeline Swann (Léa Seydoux) the daughter of the infamous villain Mr White, Bond foiled Blofeld’s organisation. However, not everything is resolved as Bond and Swann drive away into the rolling credits of Spectre…

Coming into No Time to Die, much like the actor himself, Bond has taken some time away from the world of espionage. Having met new ‘double-0’, played by the wonderful Lyshana Lynch, Bond must keep up with the new world, with missing scientists posing a threat to world order. From trailers we know much of this film’s story will revolve around Swann’s past, and her relations with the new menace Lyutsifer Safin (Remi Malek, Bohemian Rhapsody). We won’t say any more, but you can check out the trailer here!

No Time to Die is at The Courtyard from 8-21 October – Book Now!