MGM releases latest trailer for No Time to Die, Daniel Craig’s latest 007 movie

One of the first big movies to be postponed due to the pandemic was No time to die, Daniel Craig’s last release in 007. Originally slated for release in April 2020, the film was first postponed to November 2020 and then postponed again to April 2021. While some theaters remain closed around the world, MGM is sticking to its latest release dates: a world premiere at the Royal Albert Hall in London on September 28, 2021, followed by a general release on September 30 in the UK and October 8 in the US. And the studio released a final trailer to remind audiences that yes, this premiere is finally taking place.

(2015 movie spoilers Spectrum below.)

As previously reported, this 25th installment of the franchise is co-produced by MGM and Eon Productions, with United Artists and Universal serving as distributors in North America and internationally, respectively. Directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga (True detective, beast of no nation), the film is set approximately five years after the capture of SpectrumArchivillain Ernst Stavro Blofeld (Christoph Waltz), a criminal mastermind and head of the SPECTER organization. (Ian Fleming’s original character inspired Dr. Evil and his cat, Mr. Bigglesworth, in the Austin Powers film series.)

Spectrum sees Bond suspended from MI6 after leading an unauthorized mission to stop a terrorist bombing in Mexico City, based on a posthumous message from the late M de Judi Dench. The new M (Ralph Fiennes) finds his agency in competition with a rival, private intelligence service run by C (Andrew Scott).

Things get complicated, as always, leading to a confrontation between Bond and Blofeld, which spawns an attempt to infiltrate a global intelligence surveillance system so that SPECTER can access information on any investigation into its criminal activities. (In an unusual twist, Blofeld turns out to be Bond’s adopted brother.) The film ends with Blofeld captured and Bond leading into the sunset with his romantic interest, psychiatrist Madeleine Swann (Lea Seydoux).

Danny Boyle (Sunshine) was originally intended to lead No time to die, but it left early in production due to the usual “creative differences”. He was replaced by Cary Joji Fukunaga, best known for directing the war drama The beasts of no nation (2015) and the first season of Real detective. The film is expected to conclude several loose narrative threads from previous Bond films starring Craig, including the loss of Vesper (Eve Green), his love interest of Casino Royale. According to the official synopsis:

In No time to die, Bond has left active service and is enjoying a quiet life in Jamaica. His peace is short-lived when his old CIA friend Felix Leiter (Jeffrey Wright) shows up for help. The mission to rescue a kidnapped scientist turns out to be far more dangerous than expected, leading Bond on the trail of a mysterious villain armed with dangerous new technology.

Seydoux reprizes her role of Madeleine Swann and Waltz returns as Blofeld, currently imprisoned but still plotting against Bond and the world at large. Other returning cast members include Ben Whishaw as Q, Naomie Harris as Eve Moneypenny, Rory Kinnear as Chief of Staff to Mr. Bill Tanner, and Ralph Fiennes as Mr. New characters include Rummy Malek as archivillain Safin, described by the director as a “smart and dignified hyper adversary” for Bond; Lashana Lynch as Nomi, a new “00” agent who joined MI6 after Bond’s alleged retirement; Ana de Armas as Paloma, a CIA agent tasked with helping Bond; and David Dencik as Valdo Obruchev, a missing scientist, which prompted Bond to return to the field to investigate.

There is an almost elegiac quality to the opening of this final trailer, as we return to the start of Casino Royale, when Bond becomes, well, Bond, achieving his 007 status after taking out a villain in a bathroom. Bond acknowledges that the “00” have a very short life expectancy as we see a few quick shots from past missions. There’s also a photo of that devastating moment Bond finds Vesper’s drowned body – the defining heartache of his life (so far). “Every mission, every sacrifice has led to this,” the text announces, culminating in our first glimpse of Safin in his Noh brand-inspired mask.

While No time to die opens five years later Spectrum, with Bond and Swann enjoying domestic bliss, no Bond can live happily ever after. As the trailer makes clear, Swann has her own secrets and Blofeld and Safin know all about her. (“When his secret is revealed, it will be his death,” Blofeld gloats from his cell.) As for the villainous plot that threatens the world, “We could enter a room with the enemy,” said M de Fiennes, lamenting the fact that evildoers now operate largely “in the ether”. This fleeting aspect seems to play a part in Blofeld / Safin’s infamous plan. “Target enough people …” said Q. “And people become the weapon,” Bond concludes.

And of course, we have all the exotic places, beautiful women and the Aston Martin brand one could ask for in a Bond movie. These include the classic DB5, now with miniguns, as well as a DBS and what may have been a 1980s Vantage in the first trailer released last December. The film would also feature one of Aston Martin’s all-new mid-engined hybrid hypercars, the Valhalla, developed in collaboration with legendary F1 aerodynamicist Adrian Newey, as Jonathan Gitlin d’Ars reported last year. .

No time to die opens exclusively in theaters on September 30, 2021 in the UK and October 8, 2021 in the US.

List image by MGM