The James Bond film "No Time To Die" premieres in London

No Time to Die is a 2021 spy film and the 25th in the James Bond series produced by Eon Productions.

It stars Daniel Craig in his fifth outing as the fictional British MI6 agent. Craig has said it will be his final Bond film. It is directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga from a screenplay by Neal Purvis, Robert Wade, Fukunaga, and Phoebe Waller-Bridge.

Léa Seydoux, Ben Whishaw, Naomie Harris, Jeffrey Wright, Christoph Waltz, Rory Kinnear, and Ralph Fiennes reprise their roles from previous films, with Rami Malek, Lashana Lynch, Ana de Armas, Dali Benssalah, Billy Magnussen, and David Dencik joining the cast as new characters.

Development began in 2016. It will be the first Bond film distributed by Universal Pictures, which acquired the international distribution rights following the expiration of Sony Pictures' contract after the release of Spectre in 2015. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer subsidiary United Artists Releasing holds the rights for North America, including worldwide digital and television rights. Universal also holds the rights for physical home media worldwide.

Danny Boyle was originally attached to direct and co-write the screenplay with John Hodge. Both left due to creative differences in August 2018, and Fukunaga was announced as Boyle's replacement a month later. Most of the cast had signed on by April 2019. Principal photography was from April to October 2019 under the working title Bond 25. The final title was announced in August 2019.

No Time to Die had its world premiere at the Royal Albert Hall in London on 28 September 2021, and was theatrically released on 30 September 2021 internationally and 8 October 2021 in the United States, after being delayed by Boyle's departure and later by the COVID-19 pandemic. The film has received critical acclaim, with critics calling it a fitting end for Daniel Craig’s Bond.

Plot

Cast

• Daniel Craig as James Bond:
  A former MI6 agent who was known as 007 during his service and has been retired for five years at the start of the film. Director Cary Joji Fukunaga compared Bond to a "wounded animal" and described his state of mind as "struggling to deal with his role as a '00' [agent]. The world's changed. The rules of engagement aren't what they used to be. The rules of espionage are darker in this era of asymmetric warfare". Craig stated that the film is "about relationships and family".
• Rami Malek as Lyutsifer Safin:
  An adversary of Bond and Swann and a terrorist leader on a revenge mission. Producer Barbara Broccoli described the character as "the one that really gets under Bond's skin. He's a nasty piece of work." Malek described the character as someone who considers "himself as a hero almost in the same way that Bond is a hero". Fukunaga described Safin as "more dangerous than anyone [Bond has] ever encountered" and a "hyper-intelligent and worthy adversary".
• Léa Seydoux as Dr. Madeleine Swann:
  A psychiatrist and Bond's love interest who assisted him in his mission in the film Spectre. Fukunaga underscored Swann's importance to the film, as her presence allowed him to explore Bond's unresolved trauma stemming from the death of Vesper Lynd in Casino Royale. After seeing the film, Seydoux said, "There's a lot of emotion in this Bond. It's very moving. I bet you're going to cry. When I watched it, I cried, which is weird because I am in it".
• Lashana Lynch as Nomi:
  A new "00" agent who entered active service some time after Bond's retirement and was assigned the 007 number. Lynch has said that she hopes her character brings a new layer of relatability to the world of espionage: "When you're dealing with a franchise that has been slick for so many years, I wanted to throw a human spin on it—to deal with anxiety and be someone who's figuring it out, completely on her toes".
• Ben Whishaw as Q:
  MI6's Quartermaster who outfits "00" agents with equipment for use in the field. Whishaw considers his version of Q to have ended saying, "I think I'm done now. I've done the three that I was... contracted to do. So I think that might be it for me".
• Naomie Harris as Eve Moneypenny:
  M's secretary and Bond's ally. Harris says since Spectre, "Moneypenny has grown up somewhat. I think she still has her soft spot for Bond though, that’s never going to go. But she’s an independent woman with her own life".
• Jeffrey Wright as Felix Leiter:
  Bond's friend and a CIA field officer. Wright was asked what can be expected from Felix in the film, to which he replied, "Well, I think it's known that Felix pulls James back into the game and away we go from there". While Wright was surprised he was not asked to return in Skyfall and Spectre, he felt Felix's return in No Time to Die "gives more weight" due to his prior absence. Wright said that the film establishes the brotherhood of Bond and Felix, which he described as the "core" of their relationship.
• Christoph Waltz as Ernst Stavro Blofeld:
  Bond's arch-enemy and foster brother. He is the founder and head of the criminal syndicate SPECTRE and is now in MI6 custody. Fukunaga explained why Blofeld returns and teased the character's "new role" in the film by saying, "Blofeld is an iconic character in all the Bond films. He's in prison, but he certainly can't be done yet, right? So what could he be doing from in there and what nefarious, sadistic things does he have planned for James Bond and the rest of the world?".
• Ralph Fiennes as M:
  The head of MI6 and Bond's superior officer.
• Ana de Armas as Paloma:
  A CIA agent assisting Bond. De Armas described her character as "irresponsible" and "bubbly" and playing a key role in Bond's mission.
• Rory Kinnear as Bill Tanner:
  M's chief of staff.
• Dali Benssalah as Primo:
  A mercenary and an adversary whom Bond first encounters in Matera.
• David Dencik as Valdo Obruchev:
  A scientist whose disappearance Bond investigates.
• Billy Magnussen as Logan Ash:
  A CIA agent assigned by Leiter to support Bond in finding Obruchev.

Production

Development

Development of No Time to Die began in early 2016. In March 2017, screenwriters Neal Purvis and Robert Wade—who have worked on every Bond film since The World Is Not Enough (1999)—were approached to write the script by producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson. Sam Mendes stated that he would not return after directing Skyfall and Spectre. Christopher Nolan ruled himself out to direct. By July 2017, Yann Demange, David Mackenzie, and Denis Villeneuve were courted to direct the film. In December 2017, Villeneuve decided against the role due to his commitments to Dune.

In February 2018, Danny Boyle was established as a frontrunner for the directing position. Boyle's original pitch to Broccoli and Wilson saw John Hodge writing a screenplay based on Boyle's idea with Purvis and Wade's version scrapped. Hodge's draft was greenlit, and Boyle was confirmed to direct with a production start date of December 2018. However, Boyle and Hodge left in August 2018 due to creative differences. During Boyle's time as director, a leaked casting sheet described the male leading role as a "cold and charismatic Russian" and the female leading role as a "witty and skillful survivor". Production also sought male supporting roles of Māori descent with "advanced combat skills". It was reported at the time that Boyle's exit was due to the casting of Tomasz Kot as the lead villain; however, Boyle later confirmed the dispute was over the script.

Following Boyle's departure, the release date became contingent on whether the studio could find a replacement within sixty days. Cary Joji Fukunaga was announced as the new director in September 2018. Fukunaga became the first American to direct an Eon Productions Bond film and the first director to receive a writing credit for any version. Fukunaga had been considered for Spectre before Mendes was hired, and afterwards had expressed an interest to Broccoli and Wilson about directing a future Bond film. Linus Sandgren was hired as cinematographer in December 2018.

Purvis and Wade were brought back to start working on a new script with Fukunaga in September 2018. Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace screenwriter Paul Haggis turned in an uncredited rewrite in November 2018, with Scott Z. Burns doing the same in February 2019. At Daniel Craig's request, Phoebe Waller-Bridge provided a script polish in April 2019. Waller-Bridge was hired to revise dialogue, work on character development and add humour to the script. Waller-Bridge is the second female screenwriter credited with writing a Bond film after Johanna Harwood co-wrote Dr. No and From Russia with Love. Barbara Broccoli was questioned about the Me Too movement at the Bond 25 launch event, where she stated that Bond's attitude towards women would move with the times and the films should reflect that. In a separate interview, Waller-Bridge argued that Bond was still relevant and that "he needs to be true to this character", instead suggesting that it was the films which had to grow and evolve, emphasising "the important thing is that the film treats the women properly".

Some concepts changed during development with Fukunaga. An early unrealised idea he considered was to have seen the film take place "inside Bond's head", while being tortured by Ernst Stavro Blofeld in Spectre, up until the end of act two of a three-act structure. Originally, Safin, the villain, and his henchman would wear masks based on Siberian bear-hunting armour. The henchman character was written out before filming, and Fukunaga requested changes to Safin's costume. A new mask based on Noh, a Japanese style of theatre, was introduced as Fukunaga felt that the original mask was dominating the costume.

The film entered production under the working title of Bond 25. The title No Time to Die was announced on 20 August 2019. Broccoli said, "We were struggling to find a title. We wanted a title that wouldn't give away anything but would be understandable, and after you see the movie, have a deeper resonance, because that's often what Fleming titles are all about".

Casting

After Spectre, there was speculation that it would be Daniel Craig's final Bond film. Immediately after the film's release, Craig had complained about the rigours of performing the part, saying he would rather "slash [his] wrists" than play Bond again. In May 2016, it was reported that Craig had received a $100-million offer from Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer to do two more Bond films, but turned it down. In October 2016, Craig denied having made a decision but praised his time in the role, describing it as "the best job in the world doing Bond". He further denied that $150 million was offered to him for the next two instalments. 

In August 2017, Craig said that the next film would mark his final appearance as Bond on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. He reiterated his position in November 2019 and again in March 2020, following reports that he was in fact considering a reprise of the role one last time. Craig later acknowledged that the physicality of the part had deterred him from returning to the role, having sustained injuries while filming earlier Bond films. With Craig's departure, Broccoli said that No Time to Die would conclude several narratives from Craig's previous Bond films and "come to an emotionally satisfying conclusion".

In December 2018, director Cary Joji Fukunaga said that Ben Whishaw, Naomie Harris, and Ralph Fiennes would all be reprising their roles in the film. Fukunaga also said that Léa Seydoux would be reprising her role as Madeleine Swann, making her the first female lead to appear in successive Bond films. Rory Kinnear returns as Bill Tanner, as does Jeffrey Wright as Felix Leiter. Wright makes his third appearance in the series after Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace and becomes the first actor to play Felix Leiter three times.

Ana de Armas, Dali Benssalah, David Dencik, Lashana Lynch, Billy Magnussen, and Rami Malek were announced as cast members in a live stream, at Ian Fleming's Goldeneye estate in Jamaica. The event was on 25 April 2019 and marked the official start of production. Malek was further announced as playing Safin, the film's villain. Malek revealed in an interview that Safin would not be connected to any religion or ideology.

After the release of Spectre it was reported that Christoph Waltz had signed on to return as Ernst Stavro Blofeld for further Bond films, on the condition that Craig returned as Bond. Despite Craig's definite casting as Bond, Waltz announced in October 2017 that he would not return as Blofeld, but did not give a reason for his departure. Waltz's casting as Blofeld in No Time to Die was not announced at the press launch but was revealed in the trailer in December 2019.

Filming

Production was scheduled to begin on 3 December 2018 at Pinewood Studios, but filming was delayed until April 2019 after the departure of Danny Boyle as director. The film is the first in the series to have sequences shot with 65mm IMAX film cameras. Director Cary Joji Fukunaga and cinematographer Linus Sandgren pushed for using film over digital to enhance the look of the film.

Filming locations included Italy, Jamaica, Norway, the Faroe Islands and London, in addition to Pinewood Studios. In March 2019, production commenced in Nittedal, Norway, with the second unit capturing scenes at a frozen lake. On 28 April 2019, principal photography officially began in Jamaica, including Port Antonio. In May 2019, Daniel Craig sustained an ankle injury whilst filming in Jamaica and subsequently underwent minor surgery. In June 2019, production was further interrupted when a controlled explosion damaged the 007 Stage at Pinewood Studios and left a crew member with minor injuries. Also in June 2019, production went back to Norway to shoot a driving sequence along the Atlantic Ocean Road featuring an Aston Martin V8 Vantage. Aston Martin also confirmed that the DB5, DBS Superleggera, and Valhalla models would feature in the film.

In late June 2019, production moved to the United Kingdom. Scenes featuring Craig, Ralph Fiennes, Naomie Harris and Rory Kinnear were filmed around London, including Whitehall, Senate House and Hammersmith. In July 2019, filming took place in the town of Aviemore and in the surrounding Cairngorms National Park area. Some scenes were also shot at the Ardverikie House Estate and on the banks of Loch Laggan, just outside the park.

In late August 2019, the second unit moved to southern Italy where they began to shoot a chase sequence involving an Aston Martin DB5 through the streets of Matera. In early September 2019, the main production unit, Craig and Léa Seydoux arrived to film scenes inside several production-built sets, as well as further sequences in Maratea and Gravina in Puglia. Scenes were shot in the town of Sapri in southern Italy throughout September. Locations included the town's "midnight canal" and railway station. The city will be referred to as "Civita Lucana" in the film. In late September 2019, scenes were filmed in the Faroe Islands.

The Ministry of Defence in the United Kingdom confirmed that filming took place around the Royal Navy destroyer HMS Dragon and a Royal Air Force C-17 aircraft on undisclosed dates and locations before the COVID-19 pandemic. No weapons were fired. Filming of an action sequence with a seaplane took place at CMA CGM’s Kingston Container Terminal in Jamaica. CMA CGM’s container ships, Fort Saint Georges and Fort De France, will also feature.

Ben Whishaw praised Fukunaga's directing work: "It was great and you know what was amazing is that he treated it, or was able to approach it, it felt to me almost as if it were an independent film. You know? And it was quite improvisational... we didn't do many takes". He added, "It was very light. Sometimes quite chaotic, but I'm very excited to see how he's constructed the final film".

Principal photography wrapped on 25 October 2019 at Pinewood Studios with the filming of a chase sequence set in Havana, Cuba. Production had intended to shoot the sequence earlier, but was forced to reschedule when Craig injured his ankle in Jamaica. Further pick-up shots at Pinewood were confirmed by Fukunaga on 20 December 2019.

Music

In July 2019, Dan Romer was announced as composer for the film's score, having previously worked with Cary Joji Fukunaga on Beasts of No Nation and Maniac. Romer left the film due to creative differences in November 2019. Hans Zimmer replaced Romer by January 2020. It is the first time in the Bond series history that a composer has been replaced during post-production, and the second major personnel change for the film after Danny Boyle left as director. Steve Mazzaro produced the score, while Johnny Marr played guitar. The No Time to Die score album was set to be released through Decca Records in March 2020 but was delayed to 1 October 2021 to coincide with the release of the film.

In January 2020, Billie Eilish was announced as the performer of the film's theme song, with her brother, Finneas O'Connell, serving as co-writer as well as the track's producer. The song, which has the same title, was released on 13 February 2020. At the age of 18, Eilish is the youngest artist to record a James Bond theme song. Despite the film's delay, the song was nominated for and won the Grammy Award for Best Song Written for Visual Media at the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards, on 14 March 2021, six months before the film's release date, because the song itself was released during the 2019–20 eligibility period, in anticipation of the film's original April 2020 release date.

Release

Distribution rights

The Sony Pictures contract to co-produce the James Bond films with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and Eon Productions expired with the release of Spectre. In April 2017, Sony Pictures, Warner Bros. Pictures, 20th Century Fox (which later became 20th Century Studios), Universal Pictures, and Annapurna Pictures entered a bidding competition to win the distribution rights. MGM secured the North American, digital, and worldwide television rights to the film through its distribution arm United Artists Releasing. Universal became the international distributor and worldwide holder of the rights for physical home media (DVD and Blu-ray) through its subsidiary Universal Pictures Home Entertainment, prior to its joint venture agreement in January 2020 with Warner Bros. Home Entertainment.

Release date and postponements

No Time to Die was scheduled for release in November 2019, but was postponed to February 2020 and then to April 2020 after Danny Boyle's departure. The premiere in China and a countrywide publicity tour, planned for April 2020, were cancelled due to the early outbreak of COVID-19 in the country. By March 2020, the global spread of the virus and the declaration of a pandemic by the World Health Organization prompted a joint open letter from two James Bond fan sites addressed to the producers. The letter asked that the release be delayed to minimise the risk of spreading the disease and to ensure the film's commercial success.

On 4 March 2020, MGM and Eon Productions announced that after "thorough evaluation of the global theatrical marketplace" they had postponed the release until 12 November 2020 in the United Kingdom and 25 November 2020 in the United States. No Time to Die was the first major film affected by the pandemic. According to Deadline Hollywood, MGM and Universal needed to assure a strong performance across all international markets. It was hoped that the rescheduling to November would ensure all cinemas, particularly those in China, South Korea, Japan, Italy, and France that were closed due to the pandemic, would be open and operational.

In the early stages of the pandemic, an estimated 70,000 cinemas in China closed, and countries including Australia and the United Kingdom closed cinemas to minimise the spread of the virus. Variety said the studio had already spent $66 million on promoting the film, while The Hollywood Reporter wrote that the delay cost MGM $30–50 million in wasted marketing costs, estimating that the global box office losses could have exceeded $300 million had the film stayed in its April 2020 slot. In October 2020, No Time to Die was delayed again to 2 April 2021. The decision to delay the release was made when it became apparent that theatrical markets, especially in the United States, would not see full demand. After the delay was announced, the British chain Cineworld, the world's second-largest cinema chain, closed its cinemas indefinitely. Chief executive Mooky Greidinger said the delay of No Time to Die was the "last straw" for Cineworld following a string of other film delays and cancellations.

In January 2021, the film was rescheduled again, to 8 October 2021. In February 2021, an earlier release date of 30 September 2021 was announced for the United Kingdom. In August 2021, it was announced that the world premiere would be held at the Royal Albert Hall in London on 28 September 2021; whilst the release date in Australia was delayed from 30 September to 11 November 2021, in response to their national lockdowns. It will also be screened at the Zurich Film Festival on the same day as the world premiere and the first Bond film to be in the official selection at a festival.

Reception

Box office

In the United States and Canada, No Time to Die is projected to gross $65–85 million in its opening weekend.

In the film's international opening weekend, it is projected to debut to around $90 million from 50 countries, including the United Kingdom, Brazil, Germany, Italy, Japan, Mexico, and Spain.

Critical response

According to review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 90% of 39 critics have given the film a positive review, with an average rating of 7.9/10.[160] Metacritic assigned the film a weighted average score of 75 out of 100 based on 23 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".

The film has received high praise and five-star reviews from many British film critics. Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian called it "an epic barnstormer" delivered "with terrific panache" by its director Cary Fukunaga, and whose scriptwriters had written a film with "pathos, action, drama, camp comedy, heartbreak, macabre horror, and outrageously silly old-fashioned action". Robbie Collin of The Telegraph described it as "extravagantly satisfying", "often very funny" with gadgets "both improbable and outrageous", and that it has been filmed with "gorgeous" cinematography, starting with "a sensationally thrilling and sinister prologue" and ending with a "moving conclusion". Kevin Maher of The Times said: "It's better than good. It's magnificent." However, a number of reviewers found fault with the film, for example, its length of two hours and 43 minutes was criticised as excessive. John Nugent of Empire considered the plotting and exposition in the middle third "doesn't justify that heaving runtime", nevertheless he thought the film "a fitting end to the Craig era". Clarisse Loughrey of The Independent found it uneventful and disappointing, its core premise of biological weapon of mass destruction "generic spy nonsense", and that Rami Malek "gives almost nothing to the role beyond his accent and stereotyped disfigurement makeup".