Despite the movie’s dramatic climax and seemingly definitive sense of finality, No Time To Die still declares that “James Bond will return“. Although the signature title card is a regular feature in the Bond series, the promise that 007 would be back was a surprise given No Time To Die’s conclusion. Since the Bond movies remain a hugely profitable franchise another film wasn’t in much doubt, but unlike other James Bond movies, No Time To Die takes the radical decision to kill Bond during the film’s conclusion.
Daniel Craig’s James Bond is forced to make the terrible choice between saving himself and ensuring the facility’s destruction in No Time To Die’s ending. He opts for the latter, sacrificing himself in order to destroy the base and save the world. No Time To Die’s ending is tough to watch, even if the literal and more figurative deaths of Craig’s Bond tie his segment of the franchise up quite nicely. In addition to the bittersweet nature of No Time To Die’s conclusion, there are also plenty of lingering questions by the time the film’s credit card hits the screen.
Bond’s death in No Time To Die represents the definitive end of Daniel Craig’s tenure in the role, the revelation that James Bond will return might seem slightly surprising. However, both because of the enduring popularity of the franchise and the character’s historic reinvention, there are several reasons why the 007 franchise will continue to expand after the departure of Daniel Craig and the death of its titular character. In fact, given the wider historical context of the James Bond character, the promise of a new evolution for the franchise is actually extremely exciting.
A key consideration when discussing whether James Bond has a future post-Craig is the continuing popularity of the character. The James Bond franchise is already among the most financially successful of all time, netting an estimated $14.2 billion before the release of No Time To Die. As a result, killing such a lucrative cash cow simply doesn’t make sense. In addition, despite the self-contained story arc running throughout Craig’s films, Bond has always been capable of reinventing itself with little care for continuity.
Craig’s entire time in the role has made it clear just how it’s possible to successfully re-imagine the character without destroying the long-established legacy. Although No Time To Die’s ending is definitely a significant chapter in the history of the James Bond films, there are plenty of ways to bring a fresh perspective to the character, completely separate from what’s come before. As such, Bond’s return was always going to be a matter of how, rather than if, James Bond would return.
No Time To Die’s shocking conclusion may well mean that interest in the next installment will be even higher than usual — with intense speculation over the possible direction of the character and the wider Bond narrative. A new James Bond actor could fuel an increased demand from audiences, ensuring the continued success of the saga.
Another vital factor when considering a post-Craig future for Bond is that, although killing his character in No Time To Die is certainly a bold move, the wider context around the James Bond movies means that it was never going to be a definitive step. While the movie represents an end of sorts, it was never going to bring the entire saga to a close.
At this point, it’s unclear who will return as James Bond after Daniel Craig’s exit, but there’s an exciting list of possible contenders. For years, rumors have circulated around the likes of Tom Hardy, James Norton, Idris Elba, Cillian Murphy, Henry Cavill, Regé-Jean Page, Aaron Taylor-Johnson and more regarding who will assume Craig’s mantle.
All have proven they have the acting chops for a role like Bond, especially having played serious and/or tough parts in other projects. With the acting capacity for such a tone in mind, it’s clear how the actors could each make James Bond’s character their own, while also continuing the franchise with an approach that remains similar to Daniel Craig’s iteration.
There’s been controversy around the idea of Idris Elba taking over as Bond in recent years. There was a notable amount of backlash against the concept of changing the MI6 agent’s skin color. In 2014, Elba was specifically mentioned as a solid casting option for the part in a leaked e-mail from a senior executive at Sony Pictures, thus sending rumors swirling.
Elba has voiced disappointment over this widespread, negative reaction, even telling People that he was “disheartened” by it. Despite this, he did say that he would still take the role if it was offered to him when James Bond will return. This is phenomenal news, as he’s proven on The Wire (as Stringer Bell) and Luther (as the show’s titular detective) that he knows how to effectively inhabit a fierce, and often simultaneously smooth, character.
The main problem with the argument against changing Bond’s race is that, if No Time To Die has proven anything, it’s that the series’ main character can be modified. Daniel Craig’s James Bond has shown that the character can even be killed off without putting the franchise to rest for good or damaging a sense of continuity. With one Bond dead, another will undoubtedly emerge. And, when moving on to another actor to be the face of James Bond, filmmakers will have extensive freedom in who they pick for the role; the proverbial door has been left wide open after Craig’s departure.
In the 2000s, the James Bond franchise was in a tough spot. The world had watched Pierce Brosnan take the role and look perfect as 007. However, while Brosnan looked the part, he continued the tongue-in-cheek nature of the Roger Moore era. While Moore took the franchise into space and sustained an absurdist atmosphere throughout most of his appearances, Timothy Dalton’s more grounded portrayal was not something fans were ready for yet. Brosnan picked up where Moore left off, with everything culminating with an invisible castle. By the time Daniel Craig took the role, fans were tired of that.
Instead, movies like The Bourne Identity had taken storylines that would have fit Sean Connery’s James Bond and grounded it in reality. While many fans hated Craig as Bond when he was cast because he was blonde, all it took was Casino Royale to win them over. Craig’s James Bond ushered in a new era that brought 007 back to the role of a box office champion once again. This was because Craig took Bond back to the Sean Connery days. However, unlike Connery and his violent tendencies, Craig’s Bond was a blunt instrument while also vulnerable with tragic flaws.
By the end of his run as James Bond, Daniel Craig had reinvented 007 for a new post-9/11 generation, and he helped erase the over-the-top bombastic Pierce Brosnan movies. It won’t take long, but James Bond will return, and when he does, he has a lot to live up to. Craig was lucky to step into the role after Pierce Brosnan wore out his welcome. Whoever replaces Craig has big shoes to fill, and the franchise has to find the perfect person to carry the role without missing a step.
While the question of how there can be another James Bond if he’s dead lingers, the decision to kill off Daniel Craig’s Bond was an obvious one for Craig himself. He initially had a lot of reservations about playing 007. He was wary of the idea of playing one role for so long, and he spoke publicly about his dissatisfaction with some of the movies as well as the demands of the role. As it turns out, those factors helped to bring about the idea of killing off Bond way back in 2006. Craig told Variety:
It was a bold idea from Craig so early on in his tenure as Bond, but his making that realization made it clear that he understood the franchise and what could be done with it. Craig is also right to credit Casino Royale for helping make Bond’s death in No Time to Die possible, as it rebooted the franchise while also bringing back Judi Dench’s M from the Brosnan era. It helped to establish that continuity between these movies is not really that important and freed the franchise to take more risks. Craig also acknowledges there is obviously more to come:
While James Bond may have died at the end of No Time To Die, it’s little surprise that the 26th James Bond movie is confirmed and in development. Details about the return of 007 have been kept tightly under wraps so far, and the next film after No Time To Die has yet to be given an official title or release date. The only tangible detail about Bond 26 so far is that it will be a soft reboot, reinventing the franchise after the Daniel Craig era just as Craig did himself with Casino Royale.
As for who will play James Bond, it’s still not been made clear. However, there have been strong rumors that Aaron Taylor-Johnson has been offered the role, although the star has yet to confirm this himself (and neither have the studio). While it’s not been made official yet, the unsubstantiated reports that Aaron Taylor-Johnson will be the new 007 does seem to be the most concrete rumors about the future of the franchise so far.
If he is indeed the new James Bond it would be a fitting choice. His experience with movies like Bullet Train and Tenet show that he’s got solid action experience to take over as 007 after Daniel Craig’s version perished in No Time To Die.