James Bond producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson explain the decision behind the MI6 agent's shocking death in No Time to Die despite plans to continue the film series. Eon Productions began the long-running James Bond film series with the 1962 release of Dr. No. The franchise focuses on Ian Fleming's fictional MI6 agent and will be celebrating its 60th anniversary this October. Over the years, 007 has been portrayed by six different actors starting with Dr. No's Sean Connery. The most recent actor to appear as Bond is Daniel Craig who has starred in five James Bond films beginning with Casino Royale in 2006.
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In 2021, the James Bond franchise made a huge change with its latest release, No Time to Die. Directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga the 25th Bond film was Craig's final appearance and ended with a shocking twist. After saving his love interest, Madeleine Swann (Léa Seydoux), and his daughter, 007 sacrifices himself and explodes while ensuring that villain Safin's (Rami Malek) nanobot factory is destroyed. The moment brought a certain end to Craig's run as Bond but seemingly spelled uncertainty for the long-running franchise and its promised 26th James Bond film now that its main character had died.
Of course, James Bond's death in No Time to Die raised several questions among viewers about the franchise, with many wondering why Eon would choose that direction. In a recent interview with Empire, James Bond producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson recollected the decision to kill off their titular character in his latest film and explained the thought process behind it. Check out their comments below:
Michael G. Wilson: "We had to convince the studio, of course. You can imagine their reaction!"
Barbara Broccoli: "We thought, 'well, Bond now has what he's always been wanting, but afraid of, which is a family.' Because once you have a family, you're not just risking your own life, you're affecting the life of other people. That was always Bond's big nightmare to be across from a villain and for them to say, 'if you don't do what I want then I'm going to kill your loved ones.'"
James Bond's Death Was the Best Ending for No Time to Die
Obviously, killing a film series' main character usually seems like the wrong choice and most studios would probably see killing James Bond as a shot in the foot, but Bond's death in No Time to Die was actually the best ending for the film. Not only did Craig support killing 007 in his final appearance, but the ending also brought a feeling of resolution to Craig's run as the spy. As Broccoli points out No Time to Die finally gave Bond the thing he wanted most, a family, so at that point, there are basically only two places the story could lead: either Bond loses his family and lives on as a tragic lone defender of the world or Bond proves his dedication to his family and finds rest. No Time to Die gave Bond that rest by bringing a certain end to his struggle against SPECTRE and allowing him to give his life for his family. This ending was especially perfect for Craig's incarnation of Bond since Craig's portrayal often focused on the more human aspects of the character.
Naturally, Bond's death in No Time to Die raised questions about how James Bond 26 will continue the franchise. The most likely answer is that similar to Craig's run as Bond the next film will reboot the series with a completely new tone and narrative arc. This could allow the franchise to explore a different side of James Bond without negating the significance of No Time to Die's ending. Until James Bond returns, James Bond fans can only hope that the next installment will continue the thoughtful decision-making seen in No Time to Die.
Source: Empire