Daniel Craig reveals his epic final act as James Bond was planned for 15 YEARS – Daily Mail

Daniel Craig has revealed that he planned James Bond‘s final act 15 years earlier when he joined the franchise in Casino Royale. 

The actor, 53, has said in a new book that he told producers that he would ‘like to be killed off I am finished,’ after the twist ending to his final film, No Time To Die, was kept a closely-guarded secret.

The creators of the film series have been interviewed for Taschen’s James Bond Archives: No Time To Die edition, and have dished on how they kept the twist a secret.

They said that it was made possible by having a small circulation of the real script handed out, and giving others a fake script with a different ending. 

Gregg Wilson, the associate producer of the film, said that this fake script showed Bond climbing out of the rubble to find out he had been knighted. 

He said: ‘This is the first time we have had to keep elements of the story a secret.’ 

The film’s ending depicts Bond injected with a poison which will kill his lover if he ever touches her. 

He then forces open blast doors so that British missile so he can destroy his entrapment, but for the first time he is not able to escape. 

Daniel told the editor of the book: ‘When I started as Bond on Casino Royale, one of the early discussions I had with Barbara [Broccolli] and Michael [G. Wilson] was that I would like to be killed off when I am finished.’  

Barbara Broccolli and Michael G Wilson, both producers on the film, also reveal that they had toyed with the idea of Bond having a daughter in Spectre – but decided against it in the end. 

They cited the reason being that Bond was ‘too old to have some repartee’ with.  

The book also included Daniel’s competition for the role back in 2005, which included Henry Cavill and Sam Worthington. 

The recent 25th film in the James Bond franchise debuted domestically with $56M with a total $313.3M globally.

Cary Joji Fukunaga’s spy flick starring Daniel and Lashana Lynch fell slightly below expectations ($60M-$70M) considering its $250M–$301M budget.

No Time to Die – co-written by Phoebe Waller-Bridge – centers on the former MI6 agent aka 007 after being retired for five years.

It currently has a ‘certified fresh’ 84% critic approval rating (out of 289 reviews) and an 88% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. 

No Time to Die also features Rami Malek, Léa Seydoux, Ben Whishaw, Naomie Harris, Jeffrey Wright, Christoph Waltz, Ralph Fiennes, Billy Magnussen, and Ana de Armas. 

After the world premiere at the Royal Albert Hall on Tuesday, critics lavished praise on the much-delayed movie, and while many armchair reviewers agreed that the movie was ‘brilliant and special’ others were less pleased with the departure Ian Fleming’s original depiction of 007. 

British fans of Bond’s latest outing  – who have been able to watch the much-anticipated movie a week before American fans  –  took to the microblogging site penned: ‘James Bond was brilliant… #NoTimeToDie is a special, special film… awesome. Absolutely bl***y brilliant. Loved every minute of it… James bond was well worth the wait… the former glory is restored… best Bond in many years for me.’

Hot on the heels of claims the 25th Bond film is ’00-woke’, others insisted the new take on the supersleuth Lothario was ‘a liberty’: ‘I think they’ve taken too many liberties and moved away from Ian Fleming’s James Bond if that makes sense?… [this has] utterly ruined the character for me.’ 

The glowing reviews from devoted fans read: ‘James Bond was brilliant… #NoTimeToDie is a special, special film, and a perfect end to Daniel Craig’s tenure as Bond. He reinvented the role, and for me? He IS James Bond. Thank you for the past 15 years. It’s been a pleasure Commander Craig #WeHaveAllTheTimeInTheWorld… 

‘Just seen James Bond movie and Wow well worth the wait never expected a ending like that cinema was full and no one made a sound through the whole film… Can’t get over how good @007 #NoTimeToDie was last night…

‘No spoilers, but best Bond in many years for me. Also just going to the cinema for the first time since covid was class… Cheeky trip to the cinema to see Daniel Craig’s swan song as @007 and what a swan song it was. Bravo Mr Craig, sad to see you go but very glad you became Bond, James Bond. #NoTimeToDie… 

‘Loved it going again at weekend to watch… and it finally felt like a proper cinema night with nigh on a full house their was great to see it after so long… Went to the cinema to watch #JamesBond #NoTimeToDie last night, and it was epic #NoSpoilers… I had the ending spoiled in the gents at the cinema before the film started…

Naysayers however clashed with fans of Daniel’s final outing, with critics penning: ‘Who’s seen the new Bond film? I must admit I was disappointed… Yep me too – I think they’ve taken too many liberties and moved away from Ian Fleming’s James Bond if that makes sense?…

‘I really enjoyed half the film, the 2nd half however has utterly ruined the character for me. That was not a Bond film to me, more of a spoof than anything. Beyond gutted… was anyone else bitterly disappointed with latest @007 outing? Even as a huge Bond fan it just didn’t do it for me!… 

‘Why can’t people write films well anymore? I saw the new James Bond film and the ending is like…eh? Mission Impossible is the best franchise going, I love it, standards are still high there. Everywhere else…ugh… James Bond. #NoTimeToDie Well. I’m. Speechless. Devastated. Heartbroken. #NoSpoilers #JamesBond007 #DanielCraig… 

‘The new James Bond is absolutely useless. Side note, €26 for ticket, popcorn and water in Newbridge cinema #GameisGone #Boomy… Absolutely ruined. Shocking. Never seen a cinema so silent. Almighty mistake. [sic]’  

The changes in question come as Bond’s lothario antics appear to have fallen by the wayside as he swaps casual romps for handshakes and camaraderie with his female castmates.

The 25th film in the franchise sees strong female characters stake their claim on the storyline- with Lashana Lynch as British secret agent Nomi, along with Ana De Armas as Cuban agent Paloma, joined by psychologist and Bond’s love Madeleine Swann, played by Lea Seydoux.

Fleabag creator Phoebe Waller-Bridge was brought in as a scriptwriter to ensure the blockbuster was appropriate for the #MeToo era – with the flick billed as the most politically correct and ‘woke’ James Bond movie yet, with outdated sexism banned. 

Therefore, while No Time To Die sees the typical explosive Bond drama beloved of the franchise, 007’s previous history of adding notches to his bedpost is very much an afterthought – with the agent seen building a friendly rapport with his female colleagues, rather than trying to seduce them.

In one scene, Bond asks Paloma to turn around as he changes, before shaking hands with her in a scene of mutual respect and understanding following a dramatic fight scene.

They are also seen praising each other’s work – and, while Bonds of yesteryear would have seen the suave agent delivering some smooth lines and bedroom eyes before tumbling into a passionate embrace, the pair keep it cordial. 

Teasing an ending that ‘no one saw coming’, Viner hailed No Time To Die as ‘a triumph’, gushing: ‘[No Time To Die is] an explosive, tense, daring, and most of all surprising adventure, toying with our preconceptions about the world’s greatest secret agent and exploring his personal life more intimately than ever before.’

Addressing the film’s 163 minutes run-time, Viner assured readers that ‘the breathless pace rarely slackens’.

On the fact that Craig’s fifth and final outing as Bond was filmed in a post Time’s Up era, Viner notes: ‘Is there now a danger of the character tilting too far away from the callous ladykiller of yesteryear, becoming 00-woke?… 

‘Yes, there is. However, not least of the achievements of this exciting movie is that it feels progressive, while staying faithful to the spirit of Bond. This is a serious film, and it will leave you seriously blown away.’