Daniel Craig opens up about the shock 'No Time To Die' ending

Daniel Craig in No Time to Die
(Image credit: MGM)

Daniel Craig has revealed his feelings about the twist ending of his action-packed final 007 outing, No Time To Die.

*spoilers for the ending of No Time To Die ahead*

Daniel Craig's last James Bond flick ended with a killer twist. Bond remained on Lyutsifer Safin's (Rami Malek) island so he could open the blast doors, allowing the missile strike he ordered from HMS Dragon to blow up Safin's poisonous garden and killer nanobot facility. 

In their final confrontation, Safin injected Bond with nanobots programmed to kill Madeleine (Léa Seydoux) and Mathilde (Lisa-Dorah Sonnet), their daughter. Tragically, Bond stayed behind to ensure Safin's island was destroyed. As he said goodbye to Madeleine over the radio, she confirmed Mathilde was his daughter before the missiles landed, killing Bond.

Reflecting on this ending on No Time To Die: The Official James Bond Podcast, Craig said: "There were lots of different ideas that came and went and some it stuck. The through-line of this is family [and] love, plus the fact we had an end so it was about hanging the film off that."

He described the film as a "massive collaborative effort", adding "that was the headline really, just make it better. So we all input into it in varying ways. I tend not to shut up or keep my mouth shut about things and the only reason I want to get involved is because I just want it to be the best it can be.

"And Cary [Fukunaga, director] was a hell of a collaborator, so that was very satisfying when we figured things out. It was really very, very satisfying."

Bond producer Barbara Broccoli described the death as a "clever twist", and said: "Bond has always been unable to have a family because he could never put himself in a situation where a villain could threaten the lives of his family."

"That's why he's always just been a singular person because he can always give up his own life. It would be too difficult for him to be put in that situation, so of course, that's the ultimate position to put him in", she explained.

No Time to Die is still showing in some cinemas and is now available for purchase on premium video-on-demand including Amazon Prime, Google Play, and Apple stores.

Martin Shore
Staff Writer at WhatToWatch.com

Martin is a Staff Writer with WhatToWatch.com, where he produces a variety of articles focused on the latest and greatest films and TV shows. 

Some of his favorite shows are What We Do In The Shadows, Bridgerton, Gangs of London, The Witcher, Doctor Who, and Ghosts. When he’s not watching TV or at the movies, Martin’s probably still in front of a screen playing the latest video games, reading, or watching the NFL.