Almost 15 years ago, during the 2006 Christmas holidays, my father and I went to see Casino Royale. A month ago today, we did the same for No Time to Die, bringing the Daniel Craig Bond viewing experience full circle (even though we went our separate ways to watch the ones in between). A fitting choice since this latest iteration of the spy franchise is a family affair of sorts. Warning, the rest of this entry contains spoilers! Continue reading at your own risk!
Much has been said about No Time to Die ending with the actual demise of the famed British secret agent, which I see as the inevitable outcome for a version of the character who, from his very first appearance, has been defined as someone who will either retire and settle down with the woman he loves (Vesper Lynd in 2006, Madeleine Swann 15 years later), or go back to his usual 00 duties and eventually die on the job. Amusingly, I found myself discussing this very arc with the young daughter of a famous filmmaker (the child was present during an interview and mentioned having seen the movie).
Still, watching it happen (twice, in my case, since I had already viewed the film a few days prior for reviewing purposes) was quite emotional, since this was the Bond I grew up with in terms of going to the movies. The first 007 movie I saw in the cinema was actually Die Another Day, but the less said about that, the better. And I had seen the odd Connery or Moore entry before, but experiencing Craig’s version, one that was closer to Ian Fleming’s books (I had read most of those), was the spark that inspired me to explore the entire canon (with no small amount of help from my father’s VHS collection).
It’s safe to say, Craig’s swan song didn’t quite have the same effect on my dad. Within a minute of exiting the theater, he cracked the following joke: “So, I guess he won’t be back in the next movie. He’s done. James Done.” It’s understandable, and not just because he does enjoy blurting out dad jokes: as someone who is old enough to have seen most of those films during their original theatrical runs (accounting for Finnish age limits, his first Bond in the cinema would have been The Spy Who Loved Me), he’s grown used to saying goodbye to multiple incarnations of 007 in real time.
And even when we didn’t watch these movies together, the family factor was still part of the experience, on screen and off: Skyfall famously provided some insights when it came to Bond’s background, with the third act largely set in the mansion where he grew up, and as a Swiss resident I’ve always felt a special connection to this more introspective incarnation of the franchise, given the character’s ties to the country (his mother is canonically from the Canton de Vaud, where I lived until a few months ago).
This bled into a special occasion I will always treasure: Skyfall was also the film for which I did my first professional interview as an entertainment journalist, courtesy of a gala screening in Zurich with select cast and crew in attendance. Specifically, after a proper junket with actors Javier Bardem (who fixed the AC settings in the hotel room so we wouldn’t freeze) and Bérénice Marlohe, I got to stand on the red carpet and ask producer Michael G. Wilson a few questions.
Born in 1942, he has been part of the franchise since the early days: after initially cameoing in a few of the Connery entries, he joined the production company Eon in 1972, rapidly ascending to producer status alongside his stepfather Albert R. Broccoli, who started it all (Wilson also worked on the scripts for the final three Roger Moore movies, as well as both of the Timothy Dalton films). Starting with GoldenEye, he’s been the main producer of the film series alongside his half-sister Barbara Broccoli.
During the few minutes he spent talking to me, mentioning how they’d love to shoot scenes in Switzerland again once it becomes economically viable to do so, it was clear that he views every single character and cast and crew member as part of his own family, from the very beginning (as mentioned earlier, his first active contribution to the movies occurred when he was in his early 20s).
It is therefore not surprising his sister said the search for the next Bond won’t start until next year: they spent over a decade with a new addition to the family before bidding him farewell, in a way that was far more definitive than is customary for the character (the only time a previous incarnation’s sendoff has been addressed on camera was in a deliberately cheeky manner, with George Lazenby poking fun at Connery’s tenure at the start of On Her Majesty’s Secret Service).
Right now, like most of us, they’re mourning, and only when the healing process has begun will they feel like bringing in someone new. Until then, we’ll just have to accept the fact that Craig is done. James Done. Damn it, Dad!