Daniel Craig says he was ready to off James Bond all the way back in 2006

Daniel Craig made a pact with producer Barbara Broccoli about 007's fate years ago

By Savannah Olson  |  December 16, 2022 | 6:51pm
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Daniel Craig says he was ready to off James Bond all the way back in 2006
Actor Daniel Craig Photo: Kate Green

Suave British spy James Bond has survived death a thousand times—be it at the hands of his own lovers or the deadly scenarios he puts himself into with each film. Yet, his (spoiler alert!) tragic death in 2021's No Time To Die was one he couldn’t escape, as Daniel Craig recently revealed that it had been orchestrated from his very first appearance in Casino Royale.

“I don’t know if it sounds disingenuous,” said Craig while speaking on BBC Radio 4's Best of Today podcast, “I said to Barbara [Broccoli] a long time ago, back in 2006, ‘If I do all of these movies, and we get it right, can we kill him off,’ and she said, ‘Yes, you can.’”

For Craig, the Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery actor thought that his demise as 007 would offer “a chance to reset again” for the film franchise, similar to how Casino Royale’s “back to the beginning” origin story became its own way of revitalizing James Bond’s decades-long story.

While it may be the end of Craig’s run as the British spy, he here’s to remind everyone that his exit doesn’t mean it’s the permanent end of the character James Bond.

“He’s not really dead,” Craig said. “I’m gone, but it says right at the end [of No Time to Die] that Bond will return, so he must return at some point.”

We already have a pretty clear indication that Bond will make his return to the big screen, due the film franchise’s main formula relying on switching out the lead actor every few movies or so (or, in poor George Lazenby’s case, after one).

While the search hasn’t fully started for the next 007, we do know he’ll likely be “a thirty-something” who is definitely not “some kid out of high school,” as declared by franchise producer Michael G. Wilson back in October. (Doesn’t mean The A.V. Club can’t create a list of some potential contenders!)

[via Variety]

 
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