Daniel Craig ends his 007 career

We all knew this day was coming, some more than others. The same has happened for every other actor to play Bond. Sean Connery, Roger Moore and Pierce Brosnan all became James Bond for a series of movies, and each one of them stepped down. It is now Daniel Craig’s turn to relinquish his position to a new actor. 

The first James Bond movie was “Dr. No,” released in the US in May 1963. Since then, the movie franchise has grown exponentially. Six actors and twenty-two films later, Daniel Craig was cast as Bond in “Casino Royale,” which was released November 2006. Less than ten years later, Craig was tired of the franchise. He said that he “would rather slit his wrists” than act in another James Bond.

In hindsight, he said, “To be completely honest, I was thinking, I don't know if I can do another one of these. I finished filming Spectre with a broken leg. Being in my fifties now, I thought, Do I have this in me? Do I want to go through all of this? I needed a break. A little more skill in the answer might have been better. I was joking, but it came across as ungrateful.”

In an endless youth, James Bond movies had traditionally been completely separate, each escapade a standalone with no crossover beyond the main character. Daniel Craig’s James Bond changed this. His movies were connected, multiple characters moving from one movie to the next. The female love interest was carried over from  “Spectre,” and she refers to past lovers in the script. He isn’t the super-spy that he once was. His gadgets are still impressive. The main focus in “No Time to Die,” however, is the storyline. The epic chase scenes are dialed back as huge plot points are added to the story (no spoilers, I promise). And as Craig’s James Bond had an epic beginning, he received an epic end to his saga. After the release of “No Time to Die,” Craig reminisced on the role.

“I’ll miss everything, I think. I’ll miss the collaboration. I mean, hopefully I’ll keep working, and I’ll have lots of other lovely jobs, but it’s very, very, very rare air,” he said. “I’ve had the privilege of being involved in it. It was there before me, and it will be there after me … So, yeah, I’ll miss it a lot.”

And we will miss you, too.

By Annelise Jacobs