No Time To Die Alternate Endings Were Never Considered, Says Editor

Warning! This article contains spoilers for No Time To Die

One of the editors on No Time To Die has revealed that alternate endings were never considered, as the scripted exit for Daniel Craig’s James Bond was set from the start. After more than 18 months of delays, audiences were able to see how Craig’s 007 would bow out as No Time To Die finally hit theaters earlier this month. Directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga, the 25th Bond movie stars Rami Malek as the villainous Safin, alongside returning faces such as Naomie Harris as Moneypenny, and Léa Seydoux as Madeleine Swann. No Time to Die also features many callbacks to Bond films through the ages, while delivering an ending like no other in the franchise’s history.

Drawing heavily on themes from the sixth entry in the Bond saga, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, No Time To Die sees a more vulnerable and emotional Bond become a family man. In pursuit of protecting his family, while also saving the world from the main villain’s dastardly plans, Safin infects Bond with a nanobot virus targeted specifically at Madeleine. The virus means Bond will not be able to be near Madeleine or her daughter again. Realizing this, after an emotional goodbye, Bond accepts his fate as an incoming swarm of missiles descend on Safin’s lair, killing the iconic spy. With such a bold finale, many viewers may have thought that the filmmakers of No Time to Die would have had second thoughts about the decision.

However, speaking with IndieWire, editors Tom Cross and Elliot Graham confirmed this was not the case. The pair revealed that, while there were discussions with director Fukunaga about moving and changing other sections of No Time to Die (including the pre-credits sequence) the ending was “never in doubt.” The editors said that the one aspect of the film that remained unchangeable throughout was Craig’s exit, with Cross saying “there wereno alternatives” to his death.

Cross’ statement suggests that the producers and filmmakers were unflinching in their decision to kill James Bond or, at least, Craig’s Bond. Interestingly, there were reports that Danny Boyle, who was originally attached to direct, departed from the project in part because he was viewed as a “riskier” director for the franchise. The death of one of cinema’s most enduring characters, who has not met his end in nearly 60 years, certainly seems risky. But while the filmmakers’ decision to kill Bond is a bold one, the box office takings suggest it has been successful in drawing in cinema audiences, despite various release date delays.

No Time to Die‘s multiple push-backs as a result of the pandemic left plenty of time for rewrites and reshoots. That there was never any alternative to Bond’s death might suggest the producers have bigger plans for the 007 franchise that only his death would’ve allowed. This may include a ‘Marvelization’ of the franchise that would see other No Time to Die characters get their own spinoff stories. Ultimately, Bond’s death in the latest film seems to be the death of Craig’s 007, rather than of the the character. At the end of the No Time To Die credits, audiences are once again told that “James Bond Will Return.” How Bond 26 will reintroduce or reboot the iconic character remains to be seen, but the fact that Bond’s death in No Time To Die was never questioned suggests that the producers have a clear idea of where they will take 007 next.

Source: IndieWire