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On the last night of filming for “No Time to Die”, many of the crew stayed in Pinewood Studios near London until 1:30 a.m. to watch Daniel Craig finish his last scene as the infamous man. British spy.
The last scene Craig filmed in his five-movie series, which ended in October 2019 and debuts in theaters this weekend, did not involve one of the franchise’s patented chase sequences. nor a fierce fight. Instead, it’s a fairly innocuous scene in which Craig runs down an alley, disappearing around the corner.
But the moment was historic, said producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson, guardians of the 59-year-old film franchise.
It was enough to move the hundreds of spectators on set to tears, Wilson said.
“It was a metaphor for Bond, the character and for Daniel leaving,” Wilson told NBC News. “So it was very emotional for us. We all had either open tears, a lump in our throats, or we found our voices broken.”
“No Time to Die” indeed marks the end of an era for one of the most popular franchises in the history of cinema.
As Craig bows out, speculation continues to mount around who will succeed him. With that discussion comes increasing pressure on those involved in the franchise behind the scenes to consider offering an alternative to another white man in a black tuxedo.
Craig is “a legend”
Before speculating on the future, Craig and many people involved in the making of the film are set to take a party ride in the proverbial Aston Martin DB5.
Directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga, “No Time to Die” is the franchise’s 25th official installment. Almost exactly two years after Craig’s last day on set, his last on-screen mission hits theaters, most of the time delayed by the Covid-19 pandemic. “No Time to Die” picks up after the events of “Specter” in 2015.
Bond left MI6 for an anonymous life in Jamaica – at least until his old friend, CIA agent Felix Leiter (Jeffrey Wright) needed help tracking down a kidnapped scientist. The trail takes Bond on a collision course with the woman whose heart he broke, Madeleine Swann (Léa Seydoux), and a deadly new villain (Rami Malek).
In the process, Craig completes the evolution of the character, which he first played in “Casino Royale” in 2006.
“He’s a legend,” Broccoli said of Craig. “In the last five films we have been able to explore the inner life [of Bond], and I think he did a remarkable job. “
The cinema audience seemed to agree. Craig’s first four Bond films were the top four grossing installments in North American box office franchise history, according to Comscore. However, inflation must be taken into account when comparing them to films from the Sean Connery and Roger Moore eras.
Craig’s 2012 entry, “Skyfall,” broke the billion dollar mark at the global box office, according to data from Comscore.
“The casting of Craig in 007 was arguably the main ingredient in the creative mix that has paved the way for the James Bond franchise over the past 15 years with substantial momentum that will continue now and into the future,” Paul Dergarabedian, Senior box office analyst for Comscore, said.
The not-so-secret formula for successfully pursuing Bond in a cinematic landscape dominated by superheroes and sci-fi “balances the ever-evolving need for continuity and change,” said Mark Edlitz, author of “The Many Lives”. from James Bond: How the Creators Decoded the Superspy. “
“Audiences typically see Bond in his tuxedo, with a martini in one hand and a gadget in the other, battling the baddies’ intention to take over the world,” Edlitz said. “But the filmmakers also change over time to keep the series up to date. For example, bad guys’ goals are no longer rooted in the Cold War.
“While Connery’s Bond fought enemies of the Cold War in the 1960s, Moore faced off against an industrialist who wanted to wipe out Silicon Valley, [Timothy] Dalton took on the drug trade, [Pierce] Brosnan clashed with a media mogul and Craig clashed with an environmentalist. “
Edlitz added that Craig could not have prospered as Bond during Moore’s day and vice versa. It doesn’t matter who the new Bond fights next, however, there is something that remains universal about the secret agent’s allure.
“He’s a classic hero,” Broccoli said. “He’s not someone doing it for their own glory or trying to amass wealth or fortune. That kind of classic hero is something we can all aspire to.”
The search for the next leap
The latest film has already taken a major milestone for the franchise: the selection of a British actress of color, Lashana Lynch, as the new 007 – the digital designation at MI6 previously occupied by Bond.
Lynch said she was brainwashed in previous Bond films by her father, who was “silenced and floored” when she shared the news of her casting.
“Every shot, every scene that I shot is in the movie,” Lynch told NBC News. “And I am able to support my creation. They were able to respect my creation and I am able to speak about it in all its fullness to the people who are dear to me – to the young black girls who see themselves on the screen, to the young boys. who see the strength of a woman [on screen]. “
Her father accompanied her to the London premiere of “No Time to Die”, in what Lynch described as “a truly moving moment”.
Lynch’s casting comes amid a larger push among many 007 fans for a more diverse cast in the next episode, whether it’s a person of color or a woman.
Given the initial backlash on casting Craig – a blonde – for a role previously played by brunettes, the very idea remains a touchy subject.
In December 2014, Idris Elba was publicly verified by Amy Pascal, then co-chair of Sony Pictures Entertainment, as her suggestion of a successor to Craig in a secret email that leaked during the studio’s server hack. The mere assumption sparked outrage at the prospect of straying from the white spy of the original source, Ian Fleming’s novels, and every movie to date.
“It won’t happen, but hopefully a black or brunette person or a woman being 007 or James Bond would be the start of a real new wave in cinema,” Lynch said. “But because of the world we live in, we know this actor is going to have so many sticks to even be put in this position when he worked hard to be there.”
Craig weighed in on the subject in an interview with the Radio Times last month, saying, “There should just be better roles for women and actors of color.”
“As a character, James Bond has a lineage and heritage rooted in cases of sexism, misogyny and colonialism,” said Lisa Funnell, associate professor in the University’s Department of Women and Gender Studies. from Oklahoma, in an email.
“So for me the question is whether we should throw a woman in this special role, ”added Bond franchise specialist Funnell.
Broccoli has said the next Bond will definitely be British, but she and Wilson won’t even begin to think about who exactly it will be until next year at the earliest.
“It’s for the future. We haven’t really thought about it, ”said Broccoli. “We don’t really want to. We just want to celebrate Daniel right now. It seems inappropriate to start talking about your successor until he has had his time.
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