James Bond Wiki
Register
Advertisement
James Bond Wiki
Header_Tag_Spacer.png
Cinematic Tag


No Time to Die (BW Small) FilmSoundtrackSongPodcastLocationsEquipmentCharactersReleases


No Time to Die is the twenty-fifth film in the James Bond series produced by EON Productions for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer via United Artists Releasing. Like several previous films, No Time To Die was written by Neal Purvis and Robert Wade and features actor Daniel Craig in his fifth and final performance as James Bond as Craig stated he will not return as Bond in the future.[10] The film is directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga, was released on September 30, 2021 in the United Kingdom and other countries,[8] and was released on October 8, 2021 in the United States.[9]It is the climatic film of the rebooted James Bond series (and possibly the end of the James Bond 'classics' saga) and the end of the (2006 - 21) Continuity for Daniel Craig portraying the classic British secret agent (created by Ian Fleming in 1953 with the publication of Casino Royale).

Plot

A young Madeleine Swann witnesses the murder of her mother by the terrorist Lyutsifer Safin whom she shoots in retribution. Swann flees onto a nearby frozen lake after he awakens and she falls through the ice. Safin chooses to save her.

In the present, Swann is in Matera, Italy with James Bond following the capture of Ernst Stavro Blofeld. After some persuasion, Bond visits Vesper Lynd's tomb to seek forgiveness and finally bring closure to her death. The tomb is blown up and Bond is ambushed by SPECTRE assassins, including Primo. Bond accuses Swann of betraying him to the organisation and leaves her on a train telling her they will never see each other again.

Five years later, MI6 scientist Valdo Obruchev is kidnapped from an MI6 laboratory. Obruchev has developed Project Heracles, a bioweapon containing nanobots that spread like a virus upon touch. Coded to specific DNA strands, they are only dangerous if programmed to an individual's genetic code. Bond has retired to Port Antonio, Jamaica where, after years of being out of service, he is contacted by the CIA agent Felix Leiter, who is accompanied by Logan Ash, a fellow American agent. They ask for help in tracking down Obruchev, but Bond refuses. That night Bond is tracked down by a woman named Nomi, who has succeeded him as the new 007; she tells him about Project Heracles. Bond contacts M and reproaches him; the nanobot project had been commissioned by M. Bond subsequently accepts Leiter's request for help.

Bond, Leiter, and Ash fly to Cuba and meet Paloma, another CIA agent allied with Leiter. Bond and Paloma infiltrate a SPECTRE meeting with the aim of retrieving Obruchev, but instead, they walk into a trap. Using a Bionic Eye to see and communicate while still in custody, Blofeld orders Bond to be killed by the nanobots. Instead, all of the SPECTRE members are killed as Obruchev had reprogrammed the nanobots to destroy the organization per Safin's orders, something which both Bond and Blofeld didn't expect. Bond extracts Obruchev to a boat to meet with Felix and Ash, who turns against them as he is in league with Safin. Ash shoots Leiter and destroys the boat before escaping with Obruchev (via plane that Ash stole from Bond). Bond gets away to safety, but Leiter dies from his injuries.

Miss Moneypenny takes Bond to see Q and gain him the opportunity to meet and speak with Blofeld to find out where Obruchev has been taken with the nanobots. However, Safin visits Madeleine and blackmails her into infecting herself with the nanobots. As Madeleine has been the only person in contact with Blofeld since his imprisonment, he instructs her to infect Blofeld. Bond encounters Madeline in the cell, where he touches her on the hand and unknowingly infects himself. A horrified Madeleine leaves the cell. When Bond meets Blofeld, the latter reveals that he deliberately staged the ambush in Matera five years earlier to make it look as if Madeline had betrayed him. Angered by this revelation, Bond attacks Blofeld and unknowingly infects him with the nanobots, killing Blofeld just as Safin planned.

Upon realizing what happened, Bond tracks Madeleine down to her childhood home in Norway. There, he learns that Madeleine has a five-year-old daughter, Mathilde Swann, whom she claims is not his. Madeleine then confesses to Bond that the Safin family is from Kazan. Lyutsifer's father was named Gostan and was a rich pharmaceutical entrepreneur. Lyutsifer inherited his empire after his death. And Mr. White poisoned the Safin family and he scarred Lyutsifer’s face and sparing his life and he allowed SPECTRE to take control of "The Poison Garden", Safin continues his plan for revenge as he, Ash, and their men are on their way to capture Bond, Madeleine, and Mathilde. Though Bond manages to kill Ash and Safin's men, Safin successfully captures Madeleine and Mathilde.

Q, Bond, and Nomi locate Safin on a World War II base on an island between Japan and Russia. They use a plane to infiltrate Safin's headquarters and learn that he plans to use the nanobots as a biological weapon to kill millions of people on the planet so that Safin can take over the world. Nomi takes Obruchev hostage while Bond searches for Safin, who has Mathilde with him as its hostage. Bond shoots Safin's guards, but Safin escapes. Mathilde escapes from Safin and reunites with her mother, Bond, and Nomi.

Nomi, Madeleine, and Mathilde escape by boat, while Bond stays behind to open the island's missile silos, which would aid a missile strike from the British warship HMS Dragon to destroy the nanobots. Bond and Safin fight, during which Safin shoots Bond several times and infects him with nanobots programmed with the genetic code of Madeleine and Mathilde. Bond kills Safin and opens the silos. Speaking by radio with Madeleine, Bond tells her he loves her and encourages her to move on without him, and she confirms that Mathilde is his daughter. Bond smiles in the realisation Mathilde is his daughter. He dies as the missiles hit the island, destroying the nanobot factory and the virus.

At MI6, M, Moneypenny, Q, Tanner, and Nomi drink in Bond's honour. Elsewhere, Madeleine takes Mathilde to Matera and tells her the truth about her father.

Background

On 14th March 2018, British director Danny Boyle confirmed plans to handle directorial duties for No Time To Die, during a screening of the filmmaker's 2018 television series Trust. Boyle confirmed that collaborative partner, John Hodge, is "currently expanding an idea the pair had for 007 into a script."[11] Boyle previously directed Happy & Glorious, a short film starring Daniel Craig as 007, produced by the BBC as part of the 2012 Summer Olympics opening ceremony. The news was subsequently officially confirmed by MGM,[12] with production officially set to begin on December 3rd, 2018.[12] However, on 21st August 2018 it was announced Boyle had pulled out due to "creative differences"[13].

On 14th September 2018, reports emerged that veteran writers Neal Purvis and Robert Wade were rehired to produce a new script for No Time To Die[14]. On 20th September 2018, it was officially announced that Cary Joji Fukunaga was confirmed to direct No Time To Die, taking over from Boyle. It was also announced that the film's release date would be pushed back to 14th February 2020, with filming commencing on 19 March 2019.[1][15] On February 15, 2019, it was announced that the release date was again pushed back to 8 April 2020 in order to give Fukunaga more time.[16]

On 20 August 2019, the title of Bond 25 was revealed to be No Time to Die.[17] In the same year, Aston Martin confirmed that the DB5 and the V8 Vantage Volante will return, and they will be joined by the DBS Superleggera and the Valhalla, making their Bond debuts.

On 4 March 2020, the release date for No Time to Die was pushed back again to 12 November 2020 in the United Kingdom and 25 November 2020 in the United States, due to the coronavirus pandemic. On 13 June 2020, the release date in the United States was moved up by 5 weeks to 20 November. However, on October 2, 2020, the film was again delayed, this time to April 2, 2021 in the United States and an uncertain date in 2021 in the United Kingdom.[16]

On January 21, 2021, it was delayed again to October 8, 2021, for the United States.[9] On February 24, the UK release date was pushed forward a week.[8] On April 3, 2021, it was reported that Daniel Craig is planning a worldwide tour of the film in place of the red-carpet premieres that normally accompany such a film.[18] On August 20, 2021, it was announced that the film had been delayed until November 11, 2021 in Australia, but that MGM was adamant it had no plans to further delay release in core markets.[19]

The film had its star-studded world premiere on Tuesday, September 28, 2021. The premiere was attended by Duchess Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge, sporting a shimmering golden gown with cape. Also present were the Princes William and Charles.[20]

Music

On January 6th 2020, Variety reported that composer, Hans Zimmer, would be replacing Dan Romer, who had previously been announced as scoring the film. "Creative differences" were cited to have been the reason for Romer's dismissal.[5] A week later, on January 14th, the producers officially announced that the film's theme song would be penned by American sibling songwriters, Billie Eilish and Finneas O'Connell.[6] To date, Eilish is the youngest artist in history to write and record a James Bond theme song.[6]

Casting

In April 2017, actor Daniel Craig mentioned he was open to returning for a final Bond film.[21] Speaking on American talk show The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on August 15 2017 Craig ended speculation and confirmed he would play Bond for a fifth and final time. Craig's renewed enthusiasm for the role marks a change of mind after comments he made in 2015, which he explained as the product of exhaustion.[10][22]

Despite also making comments to the contrary in October 2017[23], Christoph Waltz was confirmed as reprising his role as Ernst Stavro Blofeld in the first trailer.[24]. In April 2019, it was confirmed that Academy Award-winning actor, Rami Malek, had signed on to portray the villain, Safin.[25]

In the official conference of April 2019 was confirmed[26], the rest of the cast: Ana de Armas as Paloma,[27] Billy Magnussen, Dali Benssalah, David Dencik and Lashana Lynch. It has been confirmed that Léa Seydoux will reprise her role as Madeleine Swann, Naomie Harris as Miss Moneypenny, Ralph Fiennes as M, Ben Whishaw as Q, Rory Kinnear as Bill Tanner, and Jeffrey Wright as Felix Leiter.

Distribution

Following the 2015 release of Spectre, Columbia Pictures' four-film contract to market and distribute the James Bond films officially expired.[28] While MGM and EON Productions are the studios responsible for producing the 007 movies neither of them is a distributor; hence necessitating a partnership with another studio that has that ability. Reportedly, Sony, Warner Bros, Annapurna, Fox and Universal (as well as Disney) are all pursuing distribution rights to the franchise, valued at between $2bn and $5bn (£1.5bn-£3.8bn), according to Hollywood Reporter.[29][30] Notably, MGM and EON are only offering a one-film contract to the victor.[28] On 23rd May 2018, it was confirmed that Universal Pictures had won the rights to internationally distribute No Time To Die, with MGM releasing the film in the United States through a partnership with Annapurna Pictures.[7][7]

Originally announced for release in 2020, the film's theatrical release was repeatedly delayed due to the 2020-2021 Coronavirus pandemic, which forced many public cinemas to temporarily close; eventually, as the pandemic began to fade, a fall 2021 release was confirmed, marking the longest interval between Bond films since the hiatus between Licence to Kill and GoldenEye. On May 26, 2021, MGM was purchased by Amazon, however, it was widely reported that the service had no plans to pull upcoming James Bond films, including No Time to Die, from theaters in favor of a streaming release.[31] Tim Richards, of Vue, one of the U.K.'s largest theater chains, reported that more advance tickets for No Time to Die were sold in 24 hours than what they sold for Spectre in a month. U.K. theaters (or "cinemas", as the British call it) were reported to have hired extra staff to cope with the increased demand.[32]

Nonetheless, the film was released for digital rental beginning on October 9, 2021 through all major services. The release came after only approximately one month of the film being in theaters and is suggested to be a result of muted response among older audiences partly due to the global epidemic.[33] The film was released on home video on December 21, 2021 on DVD, Blu-ray and Ultra HD Blu-ray. The special features include the following - Anatomy of a Scene: Matera, Keeping It Real, The Action of No Time to Die, A Global Journey and Designing Bond. One additional special feature, Being James Bond, is a 4K Ultra HD exclusive.[34]

Reception

Reception to No Time to Die among critics has been overwhelmingly positive. As of the evening of October 10, 2021, the film holds a 84% Certified Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes with 294 reviews, and a 7.4 out of 10 average rating. Among those whom the site considers Top Critics, the film holds a rating of 81% fresh from 66 critics, but with a slightly higher average rating of 7.5 out of 10. The site's Critics Consensus feature states that "It isn't the sleekest or most daring 007 adventure, but No Time to Die concludes Daniel Craig's franchise tenure in satisfying style."[35] Joe Morgenstern of the Wall Street Journal stated that "The new installment is exciting for its energy and scale, despite its flaws and derivative themes, and makes a lovely valediction for its star."[36] Mick LaSalle of the San Francisco Chronicle, in one of the most glowing reviews of the film, stated that "Craig leaves the series in a mammoth, 163-minute extravaganza that audiences will be enjoying for decades. It's a lovely thing to see."[37] On Metacritic, the film holds an overall score of 69, indicating "generally favorable reviews."[38]

By the morning of Sunday, October 10, 2021, No Time to Die had soared past the $300 million mark at the box office, with over $50 million in domestic sales. It was reported to have had the best IMAX opening since Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker and was reported to have already become Universal's fourth ever highest grossing film in the United Kingdom.[39] As of November 21, 2021, No Time to Die had become the highest-grossing Hollywood movie of the coronavirus pandemic, having crossed $700 million in global box office.[40] In November 2021, it was rumored by the publication Variety that despite the film's enormous box-office success, it had actually lost MGM over $100 million due to the film's high budget. MGM, however, denied this, stating in response that the film was turning a profit thanks to both a strong box office haul and "stellar home viewing" run. They furthermore stated that "Unnamed and uninformed sources suggesting the film will lose money are categorically unfounded and put more simply, not true."[41]

The film has been nominated for Academy Awards in the categories of Sound, Visual Effects and for the film's title theme song.[42] The film's "No Time to Die" song previously won a Grammy award in 2021, the first ever win for a song from a film yet to be released at the time of the awards.[43]

Cast & characters

Additional cast

Crew

Vehicles

  • On June 20th 2019, Aston Martin CEO Dr. Andy Palmer confirmed that the Aston Martin V8 will make another appearance sporting the same registration it had in The Living Daylights 32 years prior.
  • Palmer also confirmed an appearance for the Aston Martin Valhalla supercar.
  • The classic Aston Martin DB5, with a new registration of "A 4269 00", returns in No Time to Die.
  • Their latest vehicle, the Aston Martin DBS Superleggera, made a brief appearance.

Gallery

Videos


Trivia

  • With a running time of 163 minutes, it is the longest film in the Bond series.
  • It is the first and only Daniel Craig Bond film to not be co-distributed with Sony Pictures Releasing under their Columbia Pictures label.
  • This is the fourth film to use the word "die" in its title, with the other three being Die Another Day, Tomorrow Never Dies and Live and Let Die.
  • The song used during the closing credits is "We Have All The Time In The World" as performed by Louis Armstrong. This song was originally used as a secondary theme for the film On Her Majesty's Secret Service. The use of the song in the film reflects a conversation had by James Bond and Madeleine Swann when they are out on a drive together. Swann asks Bond to go faster, but Bond tells her that they don't need to, that they have all the time in the world. Later, at the end of the film, Bond tells Swann that she has all the time in the world. No Time to Die parallels aspects of the OHMSS film by invoking the song following the death of a major character. Discounting the James Bond Theme and the "secondary" theme 007, it is the only original-to-Bond song to be featured in more than one film, and the first John Barry composition to appear in a Bond film since 1989.
  • When Bond and M are talking to each other at the London Bridge the main theme of the film On Her Majesty's Secret Service can be heard in the background.
  • In similar fashion to the events of the film For Your Eyes Only, Bond visits the grave of his former 'true love' only to then be surprised by an assassination attempt by Blofeld. In both films, Bond also ends up killing Blofeld, albeit unintentionally in this film's case.
  • It is the first and the only so far James Bond film in which:
    • Bond is killed.
    • Felix Leiter is killed.
    • Blofeld is killed (unless the unnamed bald man in the opening scene of For Your Eyes Only counts).
    • Bond becomes a father.
    • The OO7 code number was used by someone else than Bond.
    • A 00 agent other than James Bond is featured in a major role (rather than as a background character or briefly as part of setting up the plot of the film).
  • This is the first film since The World Is Not Enough to show a 00-section agent other than Bond and the first to assign the agent a name (Nomi) since Bill Fairbanks was mentioned in The Man with the Golden Gun.
  • The film does not reveal what 00 number Bond is assigned after he is reinstated. Likewise, the film does not indicate what number Nomi receives, whether she is given back 007 after the mission or assigned a new number.
  • Nomi's surname is never revealed, nor so we learn Paloma's surname (assuming it's not Paloma).
  • Although not acknowledged explicitly, this film adapts elements of the novels You Only Live Twice and On Her Majesty's Secret Service, with M quoting directly from Twice at the end of the film, Bond demanding Blofeld die, and the concept of Bond leaving the 00's and attaining a special status coming from that book (and, as in the books, Bond eventually regains the 007 designation). Media reports during production indicated that a working title for the movie was Shatterhand, the alias used by Blofeld in You Only Live Twice. The parallels to OHMSS include the death of a major character (Bond in this case, rather than the female lead) and the invoking of the phrase "We have all the time in the world," along with the reuse of music from the 1969 film.

External links

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 "James Bond on Twitter", Twitter. (in en) 
  2. Sandy Schaefer (6 November 2019). No Time To Die Budget Revealed: The Most Expensive Bond Film Ever (en-US). Screenrant. Retrieved on 2020-01-10.
  3. Box Office Mojo (15). No Time To Die (2021) (en-US). Screenrant. Retrieved on August 23, 2022.
  4. The Numbers (31). No Time To Die (2021) (en-US). The Numbers. Retrieved on August 23, 2022.
  5. 5.0 5.1 "‘No Time to Die’: Hans Zimmer Takes Over as Composer on Bond Movie (EXCLUSIVE)", Variety, January 6th 2020. 
  6. 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 "James Bond on Twitter", Twitter, January 14th 2020. (in en) 
  7. 7.0 7.1 7.2 "Universal Wins International Rights to James Bond 25", Variety, May 23rd 2018. 
  8. 8.0 8.1 8.2 https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a35610606/no-time-to-die-release-date-uk-2021-james-bond/
  9. 9.0 9.1 9.2 Rubin, Rebecca (January 21, 2021).
    November 11, 2021 (Australia) ‘No Time to Die’ Delays Release Date Again
    . Deadline. Retrieved on January 21, 2021.
  10. 10.0 10.1 Ellis-Petersen, Hannah. "Daniel Craig confirms he will play James Bond again", The Guardian, August 16 2017. Retrieved on 4 September 2017. 
  11. "Danny Boyle confirms he is directing ‘James Bond 25,’ will shoot at the end of the year", Metro, March 14, 2018. 
  12. 12.0 12.1 "James Bond on Twitter". Twitter. Retrieved 2018-05-25.
  13. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-45265336 [1]James Bond: Danny Boyle pulls out of directing next film
  14. [2]Veteran 007 writers Purvis and Wade rehired to salvage Bond 25
  15. Chu, Henry. "Cary Joji Fukunaga to Direct New James Bond Film", Variety, September 20, 2018. Retrieved on September 20, 2018. 
  16. 16.0 16.1 D'Alessandro, Anthony (October 2, 2020). ‘No Time To Die’ Delayed To Easter Weekend 2021 As Pandemic Takes Grip At Box Office. Deadline. Retrieved on October 2, 2020.
  17. Bond, James (2019-08-20). Daniel Craig returns as James Bond, 007 in… NO TIME TO DIE. Out in the UK on 3 April 2020 and 8 April 2020 in the US. #Bond25 #NoTimeToDiepic.twitter.com/qxYEnMhk2s (en).
  18. McCarthy, Clare (April 3, 2021). Daniel Craig 'is planning a worldwide in-person promotion tour' for his final James Bond film No Time To Die after red carpet premieres were halted by Covid crisis. Daily Mail. Retrieved on April 6, 2021.
  19. Ritman, Alex (August 20, 2021). ‘No Time to Die’ Release Pushed Back Again in Australia. Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved on August 21, 2021.
  20. Henderson, Cydney (September 28, 2021). Duchess Kate channels a Bond girl at 'No Time To Die' London premiere: See her epic gold gown. USA Today. Retrieved on October 4, 2021.
  21. 4/4/17 — TheSun.com — James Bond star Daniel Craig is ‘ready to do a final Bond’ after being persuaded by producer Barbara Broccoli
  22. Daniel Craig Returning as James Bond for Bond 25
  23. "Christoph Waltz Isn't Returning for Bond 25". Screen Rant. 2017-10-28. Retrieved 2017-11-18.
  24. Various. (2019). NO TIME TO DIE Trailer UK (YouTube). James Bond 007 (official).
  25. 25/4/19 — Bond 25 Start of Production - Filming gets underway on new 007 adventure
  26. 25/4/19 — Bond 25 Start of Production - Filming gets underway on new 007 adventure
  27. 25/4/19 — IMDb credit listing — Ana de Armas profile at IMDb
  28. 28.0 28.1 "Five Studios’ Mission: Winning the Distribution Rights to James Bond", New York Times, April 20th 2017. 
  29. "The Stakes Behind The James Bond Rights Auction As Warner Bros And Others Try To Win 007’s Loyalties From Sony", Deadline, 7 May 2016. 
  30. "New James Bond Movie Sets 2019 Release Date, But Not Much Else", Deadline, July 24, 2017. 
  31. D'Alessandro, Anthony (May 26, 2021). James Bond Will Remain Theatrical Amid Amazon’s Acquisition Of MGM, Eon Bosses Say. Deadline. Retrieved on May 26, 2021.
  32. Lattanzio, Ryan (September 26, 2021). UK Theaters Hire Extra Staff to Cope with ‘No Time to Die’ Release. IndieWire. Retrieved on September 26, 2021.
  33. Error on call to Template:cite web: Parameters url and title must be specifiedSong, Katie (November 6, 2021). . Variety. Retrieved on November 7, 2021.
  34. Reyes, Mike (November 16, 2021). Daniel Craig's No Time To Die Has An Official Blu-Ray Release Date, With Plenty Of Bond Special Features. Cinemablend. Retrieved on November 17, 2021.
  35. No Time To Die. Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved on October 10, 2021.
  36. Morgenstern, Joe (September 30, 2021). ‘No Time to Die’ Review: James Bond Shaken, Audience Stirred. Wall Street Journal. Retrieved on October 1, 2021.
  37. LaSalle, Mick (September 29, 2021). Review: ‘No Time to Die’ is one of the best James Bond movies ever. San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved on October 1, 2021.
  38. No Time to Die Reviews. Metacritic. Retrieved on October 10, 2021.
  39. Tartaglione, Nancy (October 10, 2021). ‘No Time To Die’ Races Past $300M Global; ‘Venom 2’ Storms Latin America; Disney Topping $2B WW For 2021 – International Box Office. Deadline. Retrieved on October 10, 2021.
  40. Romanchick, Shane (November 21, 2021). 'No Time to Die' Speeds Past 'F9' to Become Highest Grossing Hollywood Movie of the Pandemic. Collider. Retrieved on November 21, 2021.
  41. Sharf, Zack (November 23, 2021). Will ‘No Time to Die’ Lose MGM $100 Million? Studio Says Reports Are ‘Unfounded’ and ‘Not True’. IndieWire. Retrieved on January 7, 2022.
  42. D'Alessandro, Anthony (February 8, 2022). ‘No Time To Die’ Shut Out From Best Picture Category, But Takes James Bond’s Oscar Noms Count To 18 Including Billie Eilish Best Song Nod. Deadline. Retrieved on February 12, 2022.
  43. Burlingame, Jon (March 14, 2021). Music From Unreleased Bond Film, ‘Jojo Rabbit,’ ‘Joker’ Win Visual Media Grammys. Variety. Retrieved on February 12, 2022.

Advertisement