Image source: Universal Pictures

The iconic Bond, James Bond movies are finally wishing adieu to Daniel Craig, but not without a final bang-worthy film: No Time to Die. 

The James Bond movies franchise has a long list of Bond films, recently adding in No Time to Die, a follow-up to 2015's Spectre. However, the film was delayed for a long time owing to the pandemic. But now, after a long wait, Daniel Craig is going to be featured in his fifth and last 007 movies. He had made his debut in the James Bond franchise about more than five decades earlier in 1962.  

The first of the Bond boys in the iconic role was Barry Nelson, the American actor who played James Bond in the TV adaptation of the film Casino Royale. However, the Bond we know today was the creation of Sean Connery, who came up with the hilarious identification tag for Bond, the iconic spy "who likes his martinis shaken, not stirred."

The world lost this one legendary actor in October last year. His Bond successor, Daniel Craig, appreciated the Scottish actor's distinguished work claiming that he "defined an era and a style" with his distinct acting for Mr. Bond.  

Offering his eulogy through his official 007 website for the Bond legend, Sean Connery, the now final time Bond portraying actor, Craig said, "The wit and charm he portrayed onscreen could be measured in megawatts; he helped create the modern blockbuster. He will continue to influence actors and filmmakers alike for years to come."

But Craig and Connery are not the only Bond boys that there are. The character has been first portrayed by an array of outstanding actors that defined the role in more ways than one. Other actors that got to live the Bond Life after Connery bid goodbye to the character in 1967 with his final Bond film, You Only Live Twice, are David Niven, George Lazenby, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan, and most recently, Daniel Craig. 

Craig now seems to have the longest-standing career as Ian Fleming's book character Mr. Bond and is followed by Moore, who portrayed the character for 12 solid years. Nevertheless, Roger Moore holds the record of starring in the most Bond movies ever. The record presently is seven, and Daniel Craig follows in after with five Bond movies. 

Apart from his portrayal as a dashing spy for the Bond franchise, Daniel Craig has also worked in films like Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. Despite his spectacular work history in the varied genre of films, Daniel Craig will be remembered for his legendary portrayal of the Bond character by most of his fans. And, it's clear that he will miss the part, too. Talking about his days as the 007 spy, Craig opened about the role and his crew. He appreciated the team during the Apple TV+ documentary, Being James Bond, and thanked the staff that had his back always.  

Image source" BBC

"A lot of people here worked on five pictures with me, and I know there's a lot of things said about what I think about these films. But I've loved every single second of these movies, and especially this one, because I've got up every morning and I've had the chance to work with you guys. And that has been one of the greatest honors of my life," he said. 

Now that Craig is officially getting off the role, people have already started guessing who the next Bond boy is going to be. There is no official announcement regarding who will be playing the role, but rumors are favoring Idris Elba and Regé-Jean Page. At the same time, several sources suggest it to be Harry Styles, who reportedly wishes to be cast as the legendary spy. 

But that's not all there is to the guesswork. Fans are suspecting that Lashana Lynch, who is already featured in No Time to Die, is going to be the one cast as James Bond. But apparently, Daniel Craig himself doesn't agree with these rumors. When asked about if a woman, possibly Lashana, should be playing the 007 spy, Craig told Radio Times this September, "Why should a woman play James Bond when there should be a part just as good as James Bond, but for a woman?" 

Read on to learn more about No Time to Die, the final movie where we get to see Daniel Craig play his iconic role. 

When is the film going to be released? 

The final film for Craig's career as the Bond Boy was initially to be revealed in March 2020. However, the release date was postponed with the sudden outburst of the coronavirus pandemic and was further postponed twice. But now, finally, with things returning to normal, the film will be released in the U.S. on October 8th, 2021.

Who will be seen in the film cast?

Of course, Daniel Craig will be in the highlight of the film, followed closely by other famous faces Judi Dench, Léa Seydoux, Ralph Fiennes, Jeffrey Wright, Ben Whishaw, and Naomie Harris.

First-time stars to be featured in the Bond franchise are going to be Rami Malek, Ana de Armas, and Lashana Lynch.

Movie synopsis

The film description says, "Recruited to rescue a kidnapped scientist, globe-trotting spy James Bond finds himself hot on the trail of a mysterious villain, who's armed with a dangerous new technology." 

Hence, a lot of shiny new gadgets might make a debut alongside James Bond, which is kind of expected from the franchise. 

Who's the mysterious villain?

Played by Rami Malek, Safin is a terrorist leader who could do just about anything to get his revenge. Like all other morally gray villains, Safin believes that the havoc he wreaks on the world is for the greater good. Malek truly wanted to portray a disturbing character that wished to be perceived as heroic. Telling about his portrayal as the villain, Malek said, "What I really wanted from Safin was to make him unsettling, thinking of himself as being heroic."

The Bond Woman in No Time To Die.

The Bond Franchise has cast an amazing set of women over the years, but many of them were just accessory characters with no significant part in the plot whatsoever. However, the Bond Girl in No Time to Die is "actually a really complete character," according to De Armas, the latest Bond Girl. Talking to Harper's Bazaar in a July 2021 interview, The Blade Runner actress said, "She's definitely something else that I don't think we've seen in other Bond girls in previous movies. She's a lot of fun — very active, very badass!"

Why is No Time to Die an exceptional Bond movie? 

Image source: Indiewire

For the first thing, Cary Joji Fukunaga is the first American director in the lead of the film, and he is eager to fill in the shoes of a great director. 

In a recent interview with The Hollywood reporter, Cary Fukunaga said: "You can't change Bond overnight, but you can change the world around him. He made the script more feminist, especially in the #MeToo era, and paired with Phoebe Waller-Bridge for the role. "It's a story about a white man as a spy in this world. But you have to be willing to lean in and do the work to make the female characters more than just contrivances," he finished.