'This isn't the right time', says Daniel Craig on 'No Time to Die' release delay
Oct 06, 2020
Washington [US], October 6 : Just days after it was announced that the upcoming James Bond film 'No Time To Die' is delaying its November 2020 release to spring 2021 amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, English actor Daniel Craig stopped by 'The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon' where he addressed the news.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the 52-year-old star told Fallon of the film being delayed due to the virus, "This thing is just bigger than all of us. We want to release the movie at the same time all around the world and this isn't the right time. So fingers cross April 2 is going to be our date."
Directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga, the 25th instalment in the iconic spy franchise had originally been set to open on November 12 in the U.K. and November 20 in the U.S. But it was then announced that the film will now open on April 2, 2021, in order to be seen by a worldwide theatrical audience.
The upcoming film will mark Craig's final run as 007. Though at first needing a break from the franchise, Craig expressed how happy he is that he returned for what would be his final film.
He told Fallon, "I'm so glad I came back and did this last one. The story, it just didn't feel complete and I needed a break. Once I had and we started talking about storylines and things we could do I was like, 'I'm in.' "
Reflecting on moment he learned he was going to take on the iconic character, Craig said that while filming in Baltimore with Nicole Kidman, he was sworn to secrecy about the role he was about to take on. "I couldn't tell anybody," he said.
He explained that he celebrated by himself as he waited for the news to be announced. "I was in Whole Foods supermarket...I bought myself a bottle of vodka and a glass."
After ending up at a bar in Baltimore, Craig recalled the comical moment the bartender asked him what was happening after noticing Craig smiling.
He said, admitting he had three martinis, "I must of looked crazy."
Despite being unable to publicly discuss scoring the role, Craig admitted he told his mother, who was later questioned by the press. "I told my mother and she then got done by the press because she's very tight-lipped," he said.
As per The Hollywood Reporter, later on during the show--Fallon asked Craig what he won't miss about playing Bond and the actor quipped that he won't miss a martini being shoved in front of him.
For the film, Grammy-winning singer Billie Eilish is joining in on the Bond history, as the singer fronts the 'No Time to Die' theme song. Her brother Finneas produced the song, with Stephen Lipson.
Given the franchise has been themed by so many iconic songs, Craig revealed that Adele's 'Skyfall,' 'Goldeneye,' and Carly Simon's 'Nobody Does it Better' are his personal favourites.
As for what advice he would give should someone take on the Bond role in the future, Craig simply said: "Don't f**k it up. It's a beautiful amazing thing."
