What to Expect from ‘No Time to Die’

Welcome to Great Expectations, a recurring series in which we break down the most essential information about an upcoming movie or show. In this edition, we look at what you can expect from — and where you can watch — the James Bond movie No Time to Die.

In 1963, the first James Bond feature film, Dr. No, came out and redefined what it means to be cool. Now, more than half a century later, there are twenty-five installments of the franchise focused on the iconic spy.

The latest 007 entry, No Time to Die, is directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga (Beasts of No Nation) and written by longtime franchise scribes Neal Purvis and Robert Wade. They both have credits on the James Bond features Die Another Day, Casino Royale, Quantum of Solace, Skyfall, and Spectre. Phoebe Waller-Bridge (Fleabag) is also a credited co-writer this time around.

Here’s everything you need to know about No Time to Die:

No Time to Die Release Date (and Where to Watch)

To say that No Time to Die has had a rocky road to release would be an understatement. The movie’s initial release date was in November 2019. But it was postponed to February 2020 after its original director, Danny Boyle, exited the project. And then MGM moved it to April 2020.

Of course, Spring 2020 wasn’t a great time for releasing movies, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. A month before the April release, MGM and Eon Productions released a statement explaining that fans would now have to wait until November 2020 to watch No Time to Die in theaters.

There was a lot on the line. MGM had already spent $66 million promoting the movie. Additionally, No Time to Die has a budget of around $250 million, which makes it one of the most expensive ever made. The studios are going to have to rake in a lot at the box office just to break even. So just one poor judgment call could lose them a lot of cash.

As the November 2020 date crept closer and closer, it became clear that box office numbers weren’t doing too well. In October, MGM delayed the movie once again, until April 2021. Then, in January 2021, they delayed it again, this time until October 8, 2021.

Of course, we’re talking about its US release date. Fans in the UK will get their homegrown hero a week earlier, on September 30th. Knock on wood that the current plans for both openings are final. No Time to Die will have a wide theatrical release, but there is no word yet on when and where it will be streaming afterward.

No Time to Die Cast

In a James Bond movie, you can always count on seeing some familiar faces, plus some exciting new ones. First off, Daniel Craig is returning as Bond (…James Bond) for the final time. No Time to Die marks his fifth outing in the role, after working his smooth-talking, tuxxed-out magic in Casino Royale, Quantum of Solace, Skyfall, and Spectre.

Léa Seydoux is also back as James Bond’s love interest, psychiatrist Dr. Madeleine Swann, following her introduction in Spectre. Other returning franchise players include Ben Whishaw as Q, Naomie Harris as Eve Moneypenny, Jeffrey Wright as CIA agent Felix Leiter, Christoph Waltz as vicious nemesis Ernst Stavro Blofield, Ralph Fiennes as M, and Rory Kinnear as Bill Tanner.

Of course, every Bond film needs a nefarious new villain, and in No Time to Die, that role is filled by Rami Malek (Bohemian Rhapsody), who plays Lyutsifer Safin. Other newcomers include Lashana Lynch (Captain Marvel), who plays James Bond’s 007 replacement, Nomi, and Ana de Armas (Knives Out), who plays Paloma, a young CIA agent.

Rounding out the supporting cast are Billy Magnussen (Game Night) as CIA agent Logan Ash, David Dencik as scientist Valdo Obruchev, and Dali Benssalah as Primo.

The Plot

No Time to Die sees James Bond in retirement, which, of course, was never going to last long. CIA officer Felix Leiter (Wright) informs him that a malevolent terrorist leader (Malek) has kidnapped an important scientist. Now, Bond has to do what he does best and take down one of the world’s most sinister figures.

Watch the Trailers

The build-up to the next James Bond movie has been excruciatingly long. Fortunately, the studio has gifted us with a couple of action-packed previews to tide us over while we wait. The first trailer for No Time to Die and subsequent spots have given us glimpses of everything we love in a 007 movie. These include bad-ass stunts, beautiful women, James Bond being effortlessly cool, and bad guys being effortlessly bad.

Watch the trailers for No Time to Die below and see for yourself.

Why Daniel Craig Returned as Bond, Even When He Said He Wouldn’t

In a 2015 interview with Time Out magazine, Daniel Craig famously said that he would “rather slash [his] wrists” than play James Bond again. Now, he’s going back on that dramatic promise — but not without good reason.

In a recent interview with GamesRadar, Craig explained his reasoning for going back to the franchise one last time:

“We started talking about it, and I went, ‘There might be a story we need to finish here — something we started in Casino [Royale]. Something to do with Vesper, and Spectre, and something that was connected, in a way.’ It started to formulate. And I thought, ‘Here we go.'”