James Bond star Daniel Craig says No Time to Die came from an idea he had making Casino Royale

Casino Royale
(Image credit: Eon)

No Time to Die came from an idea Daniel Craig had while making Casino Royale, according to the James Bond actor himself.

Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, Craig explained why, after saying Spectre would be his final time as 007, he changed his mind. "I finished that movie with a broken leg. I'm not moaning about that; it's just the way it was," he said. "I had to question myself: Was I physically capable of doing [another one], or did I physically want to do another one? Because that phone call to your wife saying 'I've broken my leg' is not pleasant."

He continued: "But I had a break. It was five years, and we had an idea, an idea that I'd had on Casino Royale. I spoke to Barbara [Broccoli, producer] about it, and she said, 'Yeah, go for it.' We expanded that idea, and that became the plot or became at least what we were aiming for, and I'm very, very, very happy we did."

No Time to Die sees Bond go up against Rami Malek's villainous Safin, while Léa Seydoux returns as Madeleine Swann, and Captain Marvel's Lashana Lynch joins the franchise as 00 agent Nomi. Craig's Knives Out co-star Ana de Armas also makes her debut as Paloma, and Jeffrey Wright returns as Felix Leiter, with Christoph Waltz back as Blofeld.

The film is in UK cinemas now, and hits theaters in the US this October 8 – and it has already broken a pandemic box office record.

If you're all caught up on the movie, though, check out our huge guide to the No Time to Die ending explained, which delves deep into everything you might have missed. You can also find out what our favorite 007 outing is in our list of the best James Bond movies, and see who we think might be the next James Bond, too. 

Molly Edwards
Senior Entertainment Writer

I'm a Senior Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, covering all things film and TV for the site's Total Film and SFX sections. I previously worked on the Disney magazines team at Immediate Media, and also wrote on the CBeebies, MEGA!, and Star Wars Galaxy titles after graduating with a BA in English. 

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