‘MASSIVELY GRATEFUL’: Daniel Craig says goodbye to James Bond

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LONDON – Daniel Craig thought his tenure as James Bond had ended with “Specter,” but the actor says his latest fifth appearance as a British secret agent in “No Time To Die” allowed him to fully complete his 007 journey.

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Almost 60 years after the premiere of the first Bond film, “Dr No,” the movie’s favorite spy, known for his love of fast cars and cool gadgets, returns in the highly anticipated 25th Bond movie next week. after an 18-month delay due to COVID. -19 pandemic.

Costing an estimated $ 200 million to produce, “No Time To Die” sees Bond come out of retirement from an idyllic life in Jamaica to help track down a new villain armed with lethal technology.

“I didn’t think I was going to make another movie after ‘Specter.’ I really thought I was going to… just pack it up, ”Craig told Reuters.

“But I am so happy that I had the opportunity to come and do this. And we tie up a lot of loose ends. We try to tell a story with all my Bond movies. It’s like they’re all connected in some way and this one just crowned it. “

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Running for almost three hours, the film, directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga, promises the usual Bond action, car chases and stunts in picturesque locations, including cave dwellings in the southern Italian city of Matera.

It features the new character Nomi, played by black actress Lashana Lynch and described simply as a 00 agent at Bond’s former employer, Britain’s MI6 foreign spy service. He seems as fierce and skilled as Bond.

“She is also a real human being. He’s down-to-earth and well-trained and he takes every opportunity he gets and really takes it. It has really changed things at MI6 and will continue to do so, ”Lynch said.

“It’s groundbreaking for black women, for my culture, also for the franchise that has been pushing the needle forward for a long time.”

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French actress Lea Seydoux reprises her role as Madeleine Swann in 2015’s “Specter.”

“Cary wanted to explore the character of Madeleine a bit more … In a way, she is the heart of the film and the relationship with Bond is much more developed,” said Seydoux.

Rami Malek joins the franchise, one of the most valuable in Hollywood, as the villain Safin.

“I watched every villain in movie history almost to prepare for this,” he told the film’s official podcast.

After being postponed three times from its original April 2020 time slot, “No Time To Die” has its world premiere on Tuesday in London.

“I enjoyed all of them … They are always a little difficult, but anything worthwhile is always a little difficult, so it was a pleasure to do this,” said Craig, who began his Bond journey in 2006. “Casino Royal “.

“(I’m) enormously grateful that I had the opportunity to do it and … all the memories and all the amazing moments … working with just amazing, amazing people … it has changed my life … it’s just amazing.”