Daniel Craig Created ‘James Bond’ Ending at the 2006 Berlin Premiere of ‘Casino Royale’
The James Bond film franchise has been around since the ’50s and has become a staple in pop culture. Fans know the series for the stylish clothing, the immersive action sequences, and the beautiful “Bond girl” actors. However, the most recent James Bond film, No Time to Die, threw a serious wrench into the established formula for the franchise, with an ending that had fans shaken as well as stirred. Daniel Craig, the actor who has played Bond in the past few films, recently revealed that he came up with the shocking ending way back in 2006, when he was fresh from the premiere of his first Bond film, Casino Royale.
How does James Bond meet his end in ‘No Time to Die’?
No Time to Die tells the story of an older, jaded James Bond, who has been retired from active duty for five years when the film’s storyline picks up. He is recruited by the CIA to find a kidnapped scientist, which ultimately leads to Bond reuniting with a former lover as well as with a longtime adversary.
At the end of the film, Bond kills the villainous Safin, who is intent on killing millions of people. However, Safin ambushes Bond prior to his own death, infecting him with a vial filled with a deadly virus that was meant for Bond’s former love interest.
Bond, his last act one of true selflessness and heroism, dies on Safin’s island when it is bombed, saving the lives of millions but losing his own in the process. For fans, the ending is truly shocking, since the character of Bond has never died onscreen before.
What did Daniel Craig say about brainstorming the death of James Bond?
Craig, who has embodied the character of James Bond since 2006, opened up in a recent interview with Variety, admitting that it was his idea to kill off the character of Bond. As reported by Insider, Craig said that he first came up with the idea when he was leaving the Berlin premiere of Casino Royale, which was released in 2006. “I said to Barbara (Broccoli), ‘How many of these movies do I have to make?’ Because I don’t really look at contracts or any of those things. And she said, ‘Four,’ and I went, ‘Oh, okay. Can I kill him off in the last one?’ And she didn’t pause. She said, ‘Yes.'”
Craig went on to note that “It’s the only way I could see for myself to end it all and to make it like that was my tenure.” Craig detailed how, over the years, he and Bond showrunner Barbara Broccoli talked about various ways to kill off the character, with everyone on the team agreeing that a “conventional weapons death” just didn’t seem right. In the end, Bond’s death saving millions of people was not only an appropriate way to send off the character, but it proved a fitting way for Craig to leave the franchise as well.
Daniel Craig’s tenure as James Bond has been wildly successful
Close to a dozen different actors have taken on the role of James Bond over the years, but few have become as beloved as Daniel Craig. The British actor has played Bond in a total of five films, including Casino Royale, Quantum of Solace, Skyfall, Spectre, and, most recently, No Time to Die. Craig has not only been praised for the unique physicality that he brought to the role of Bond, but he’s also notable for being the first actor to play Bond as a blond superspy.
These days, with many fans looking to what’s next for the iconic film franchise, many viewers are taking stock of Craig’s legacy as Bond, and appreciating anew the hard work he’s put in to make James Bond a relevant hero for this decade.
