Daniel Craig says he planned James Bond’s death since ‘Casino Royale’
Former James Bond actor Daniel Craig has revealed he that wanted to kill off 007 since his first outing in 2006’s Casino Royale. The British actor bowed out as the super spy at the end of 2021’s No Time To Die, which saw Bond killed in a missile strike. Although the twist might have shocked fans, Craig has now explained that he had actually been planning Bond’s death for a long time.
“I was driving away from the Berlin premiere of Casino Royale with [Bond producer] Barbara Broccoli,” Craig told The Times in a new interview. “I had genuinely thought I would do one Bond movie, then it would be over. But by then we knew we had a hit on our hands. I realised the enormity of it, so I said to Barbara, ‘How many more? Three? Four?’ She said, ‘Four!’ I said, ‘OK. Then can I kill him off?’ She said, ‘Yes.'”
Craig continued: “If we kill Bond, we can begin again. I think Barbara thought that too. But, bless them, the studio, MGM, were, like, ‘What are you talking about? Are you out of your minds?’ There was reluctance. So we had to do it in secret, really.”
“Real tragedy is when you have absolutely no choice,” the former Bond actor concluded. “We had to find a way to make his death no choice. It was the happiest Bond had ever been because he’d found exactly what he was looking for. Like everyone on Earth, he was just looking for love.”
At the end of November, it was reported that Aaron Taylor-Johnson is the new favourite to take on the role of James Bond.
According to a report by The Sun, the actor recently went for a screen test where Barbara Broccoli loved what he offered. A source told the publication: “Aaron went for a screen test to be the next Bond in September, and producers and Barbara loved him. He is now one of the frontrunners.”
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