The production team reveals the anecdotes behind the plot design
Warning: This article contains spoilers for the ending of 007: No Time to Die! Please read it as appropriate!
007: No Time to Die is Daniel Craig's last big screen appearance as James Bond, and it has brought a surprising ending to fans around the world, and fans are still talking about it.
Although the film stars Craig, director Kerry Fowon, and producers Barbara Brockley and Michael Scott, the film's lead actors. G. Wilson had never expressed an opinion on the film's ending, but now they have finally revealed the story behind the film's ending.
Variety magazine raised the issue of "The Death of James Bond" in an interview with the production team of 007: No Time to Die, after all, the "007 Series" film has never had a similar plot in its nearly 60-year history, and another key question was involved in the interview - is James's death something that the filmmakers have planned for a long time?
Craig replied, "I want to tell you a story first, and that was what happened in 2006, when Barbara and I had just finished the premiere of 007: Casino Royale in Berlin and were getting ready to take the car back. Everything was beautiful then. Audiences also had high ratings of the film. I seem to have a chance to make a few more 007 movies."
"I asked Barbara, 'How many 007 films do I need to make in total?' I've never looked closely at contracts or anything like that. She replied that it was four, and I thought, "So does my generation at least give James Bond a taste of dying?" After listening to me, she did not hesitate to give an affirmative answer. So I immediately made a pact with her and said to her, 'I really hope the plot will develop like this.'" Because it's my best way to end the scene as James Bond, I can always leave that image in the hearts of the audience and then let other actors take over the role. Fortunately, Barbara didn't change her answer either."
Barbara added with a smile, "I went to tell Michael about it later, and we were waiting to tell the whole studio." In fact, we've long wanted to get rid of Craig, and my answer was to make sure he wouldn't be in the 007 series again."
After this reunion, the 007 series of movies is about to restart, and Craig also tells us with practical actions that he will not appear in the public eye again as James Bond.
Craig said, "The truth is, once I stop playing this role, I can't appear in this image anymore."
Although the film production team has long had this idea, we now know that they did not make it a reality for a long time. It wasn't until after 007: Ghost Party that things changed.
Wilson recalls: "In fact, after making the fourth 007 film starring Craig, we still wanted him to continue to star, but his attitude was very reluctant. So we thought it was time to put the curtain on this version of James Bondra, and he probably felt the same way. So this ending is actually not unusual, the original author Ian Fleming in "007: Russian Love" tried to kill James plot, and even in "007: Thunder Valley" also let James almost die. I think this kind of plot is normal for a character who is in constant danger to his life."
"Opportunities will always come, Fleming should have seen this ending, I think we should have really achieved this plot." 」 And we also need to let the audience know the risks that characters like Bond face."
There is no doubt that the death of James Bond was a very bold decision, after all, many viewers chose this movie, sitting in front of the screen, just to see James Bond once again turn the tide.
Craig said: "If you see the subtitle at the end of the movie, it clearly tells everyone that 'James Bond will be back'. So there's no need to worry about anything."
Wilson also gave a positive answer, despite the brutal ending of the film, "James Bond will turn the situation around".
Barbara added: "James Bond made the ultimate sacrifice. As Michael said, his death was very reasonable, because his identity determined that he was always at great risk. But what's even more surprising is that the audience was able to keep the secret and not spoil the movie ending, so as not to affect the fun of others."
From the moment he decided to let Fukuyo direct, James Bond's death had become a foregone conclusion, but his death method was not determined at first.
Fokunaga said: "Barbara, Michael and Daniel have already determined several things before this movie, and James's death has always been one of them, but they are not sure exactly how he will go to death. At that time, we only knew this ending, so the question that followed was how to design this plot."
The production team discussed many, many ways to get James Bond dead, including "blowing him up with a rocket" and "eating a spoiled oyster and dying."
Fuyong said: "What impressed me most was the use of bullets, a bullet that came from nowhere to take James's life. But this method seems to be simply a death by a weapon, which is not suitable for his identity. After all, he has escaped to the limit many times, and eating bullets is already a common thing for him, and he has to face countless bullets from the beginning to the end of the film, although this is realistic, but for James Bond, he needs a more realistic way to die."
Craig said: "I think the most important point is that we are all trying to create a sense of tragedy. In that scene there must be unsolvable problems, there is a more powerful force, and no one can break this situation. Safin's weapon is a more powerful source of power, destroying the only thing James Bond cares about, which is to make him unable to be with the people he loves, thus depriving him of the meaning of living. His continued existence would put his loved ones in danger, and death became his ultimate solution."
"In short, James's death method is extremely important, it can be regarded as a clue throughout the film, and the ending needs to be reasonable. It must have a deep connotation, otherwise it will not play its due role. If we hadn't thought about it earlier, we probably wouldn't have been able to achieve the current effect, and we might have had to find other ways to end the film."
As mentioned earlier, 007: No Time to Die is clearly not James Bond's final chapter, and the famous agent will continue his story. As for who will take over this glory as the next 007 protagonist, Barbara revealed that they will carefully evaluate all the right actors in 2022.
This article is compiled from IGN US related content, the original author Adam Bankhurst, unauthorized reproduction is prohibited.