Daniel Craig 'struck a deal' with James Bond producers to kill off the character
Daniel Craig, who concluded his run as James Bond in No Time to Die, says he had planned to kill off the character as early as 2006
Daniel Craig appeared as James Bond in his last outing as the iconic character this year in No Time to Die. The film, which was both a critical and commercial success, included a shocking finale, where Bond seemingly sacrifices himself to save his lady love Madeleine and daughter Mathilde.
In a recent interview with Variety, the actor - as well as the film's producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson - opened up about the decision to do something that has never been done before - kill off James Bond.
Daniel revealed that he had spoken to Barbara about the character's death immediately after he first essayed this role in Casino Royale. 'How many of these movies do I have to make?' Because I don't really look at contracts or any of those things. And she said, 'Four,' and I went, 'Oh, okay. Can I kill him off in the last one?' And she didn't pause. She said, 'Yes.'"
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Daniel said that he 'struck a deal' with the producer about the character's demise back then itself because that is the only logical conclusion he could see for Bond. "So, I struck a deal with her back then and said, 'That's the way I'd like it to go.' It's the only way I could see for myself to end it all and to make it like that was my tenure, someone else could come and take over. She stuck to her guns," he said.
Daniel eventually ended up doing five Bond films instead of four with No Time to Die being his final outing as 007. However, the actor admits that he thought the producers had forgotten all about his 'deal'. "I thought it was forgotten about, put it that way. I didn't bring it back up again until this one (No Time to Die)," he said. Producer Michael G. Wilson added, "I think it's the fitting way to deal with a situation where a person is risking their life all the time. Eventually, the odds catch up with you."
No Time to Die was one of the most successful films at the global box office this year, earning in excess of $700 million worldwide. Daniel may have said good bye to one franchise but he will soon be seen in another. His next outing will see him reprise his role as detective Detective Benoit Blanc in the sequel to his 2019 whodunit Knives Out.
