The London world premiere of No Time to Die which will be held on Wednesday at the Royal Albert Hall, will see the UK royal family in attendance, including Prince William and Duchess of Cambridge Kate Middleton, as well as Prince Charles and Duchess of Cornwall Camilla Parker-Bowles.
The premier event of the 25th film in the James Bond franchise, that stars Daniel Craig in the titular role and other stars including Rami Malek, Lea Seydoux, Lashana Lynch, Ben Whishaw and Naomie Harris, will be live streamed on Facebook, according to a Variety report.
No Time to Die will also marks Craig’s exit from the franchise after filling in the character’s shoes for 15 years. Craig’s name will be etched in the history with the likes of Sean Connery, and Pierce Brosnan, among others who also essayed the role of the iconic ‘007’ agent.
Craig’s association began in 2006, with the Casino Royale, and went on to play the fictional MI6 agent in sequels including Quantum of Solace (2008), Skyfall (2012), and Spectre (2015).
Craig himself had faced opposition after he was announced as Brosnan’s successor, in 2005. Despite several criticisms and attacks on his personality that ensued, Craig’s films went on to break records. Skyfall became the first-ever Bond film to cross a billion dollars at the box office, worldwide, and the highest-grossing film in the series. The film went on to win two Oscars at the 85th Academy Awards, for Best Sound Editing, and Best Original Song, by Adele.
According to Rotten Tomatoes, Craig’s Casino Royale and Skyfall are ranked third and fourth in the list of best James Bond films, falling behind the original Goldfinger (1964), From Russia With Love (1963), and Dr. No (1962), with Connery.
No Time to Die is an especially anticipated release for Craig.
This film however has seen a number of roadblocks prior to its release. Directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga, the film saw several delays since 2019. While it was supposed to release in November 2019, filmmaker Danny Boyle’s exit from the project stalled it further. The onset of Covid-19 pandemic worsened the situation. Boyle was supposed to direct and co-write the screenplay with John Hodge.
It was initially supposed to release in April 2020 before the pandemic pushed it to November 2020, and then to April 2021. Finally, in January, it was announced that film will release in the US, on October 8.
While the question around Craig’s successor post the film’s release still looms large, names like Tom Hardy, Regé-Jean Page, Idris Elba, and Henry Cavill, among others have been making the rounds. Producer Barbara Broccoli told BBC Radio 4 that they will start thinking about it only in 2022, the franchise’s 60th anniversary.
