Daniel Craig will be portraying James Bond one last time in NO TIME TO DIE, which was recently pushed off of its November 2020 release date to April of next year due to the global pandemic. The film was originally set to open in April of this year with Craig likely ready to begin his final promotional tour with the character but he'll get to hold on to the Bond mantle a little longer than anticipated. Since this will be Craig's last time playing the character, many fans are already looking towards the future in regards to who will play the character to next but longtime producer and franchise shepherd Barbara Broccoli has confirmed that a decision on that hasn't been made yet.
Barbara Broccoli was recently interviewed by "GamesRadar" about NO TIME TO DIE and the subject was addressed because it's no secret that this is Craig's last time playing Bond and rumors have been swirling that Tom Hardy would be the next person to have his martinis "shaken, not stirred." Broccoli made it clear that they only focus on one Bond at a time and since NO TIME TO DIE has yet to released, Daniel Craig is the only Bond on her mind at the moment:
"I always say: you can only be in love with one person at a time. Once the film's come out, then some time will pass, and then we'll have to get on to the business of the future. But for now, we just cannot think about anything beyond Daniel."
Whenever it is decided who will have to fill the shoes left behind by Daniel Craig, Broccoli wants fans to rest assured that it will not just be an imitation of the last 15 years and that the role will once again be reimagined:
"It will have to be reimagined, in the way each actor has reimagined the role. That's what is so exciting and fun about this franchise; the character evolves. Eventually, when we have to think about it, we'll find the right person."
Daniel Craig is going to be a tough act to follow. Many fans think he's one of the best actors to play James Bond and he has had a pretty successful run as the character. It could be argued that the only misstep was QUANTUM OF SOLACE but Craig's debut in 2006's CASINO ROYALE is widely considered to be one of the finest entries in the history of the franchise. Plus, Craig has the distinction of appearing in the only movie in the series to gross more than $1 billion with SKYFALL.
The latest James Bond entry, NO TIME TO DIE, is directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga, and also stars Rami Malek, Lashana Lynch, Ana de Armas, Lea Seydoux, Ralph Fiennes, Jeffrey Wright, Ben Whishaw, and Naomie Harris. In the film, James Bond has left active service but his peace is short-lived when Felix Leiter, an old friend from the CIA, turns up asking for help, leading Bond onto the trail of a mysterious villain armed with dangerous new technology.
Who do YOU think should be the next James Bond? NO TIME TO DIE hits screens on April 2, 2021.