The world premiere of the 25th film in the James Bond franchise took place on Tuesday 28 September at the Royal Albert Hall in London, in the company of the film’s team and many other personalities, including Prince William and Kate Middleton. A screening with an already nostalgic aftertaste, which marks Daniel Craig’s last appearance as the famous British secret agent.
Daniel Craig, 15 years of James Bond
The sixth and most recent actor to play James Bond in the cinema, Daniel Craig was first seen as 007 in Casino Royale in 2006, succeeding Pierce Brosman who played James Bond from 1994 to 2004. Since then, Daniel Craig has made this identity his own in no less than five opuses of the franchise, and has left a lasting mark on it.
It should be remembered that initially Daniel Craig did not want the role but the British actor was eventually convinced. For Sam Mendes, director of Spectre in 2015, James Bond and Daniel Craig are two opposites. “I think Bond had become the opposite of what Daniel is, glib, an affable, polite comedian, a sort of parody in a way, and I thought it wouldn’t fit with Daniel‘s passion and honesty as an actor,” he once told the BBC.
In the end, the director will admit that he was wrong and that Daniel Craig was able to add depth to the role of James Bond, and change it completely. Over the last fifteen years, especially with the last two films, the character has grown in stature and depth. He has been hurt, in love, betrayed : a character full of flaws and imperfections, in a kind of constant struggle against himself.
No Time To Die, an expected film
That’s why No Time To Die is a different film from the others, perhaps even with a bittersweet ending. It has to be said that the film has been a long time coming. Initially scheduled for 2020, it will not be shown in French cinemas until 6 October, due to the coronavirus pandemic.
And above all, if it is so eagerly awaited and so different from the other films, it is because it must mark the end of an era, putting an end to Daniel Craig‘s epic as James Bond. It is expected to be emotional, but also ambitious, to turn a new page in the history of Britain’s most famous secret agent with aplomb. Hence this kind of feeling.
It is likely to be a divisive film. Some viewers will be disappointed with this final chapter devoted to Daniel Craig, while others will find it a fitting tribute to the actor’s talent and performance. But that is just speculation.
No Time To Die is different because it marks a turning point, a page that is being turned. And we already know what we’ll find on the other side, the story of the battle for one of cinema’s most iconic roles.
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Featured Photo : © Wikimedia Commons
