A star rating of 4 out of Craig was never going to bow out of his James Bond tenure with a whimper – and so it proves in the long-awaited No Time To Die, which finally makes its way to UK cinemas this week. For better and for worse, this is a film that throws just about everything at the wall, and the result is something that serves at once as a culmination of the Craig era but also as something quite unlike any of the star’s previous four films. Plot spoilers are, of course, off-limits – so I’ll stick to the bare bones. After a lengthy pre-credits section, which includes a rather heightened flashback to Madeleine Swann’s Lea Seydoux childhood, we find Bond enjoying retirement in Jamaica, with no desire to get back into the spy game any time soon. But then pops up his old pal Felix Leiter Jeffrey Wright, who attempts to pull him into the fold for one last mission an MI6 scientist has gone missing, and his disappearance could have frightening repercussions for the whole planet. Bond is initially reluctant, but eventually relents and finds himself drawn into a plot that sees him encounter friends and foes old and new, eventually leading him to archvillain Safin played by Rami Malek in the No Time To Die cast.Eyebrows have been raised about the rather lengthy running time and, while it does lend the film the weight of a real epic, there are certainly times where you can feel that stretch. There’s a fine line between sprawling and disjointed, and too often No Time To Die veers rather too close to the latter, especially in its middle portion, meaning the film lacks the overall cohesion of something like Skyfall or Casino Royale. Meanwhile, the action set pieces are often tremendous when they arrive, but could perhaps have been distributed more evenly across the running time. Read more Every James Bond theme song from the film franchise’s historyIt’s not just the film’s length that makes it feel grand and monumental – just about everything about the film is big, which makes it odd that the main antagonist is a rather understated presence. Safin has moments of real creepiness, but his rather undefined motives and lack of real chemistry with Craig means this is not a villain who will linger in the memory as much as the likes of Le Chiffre, Raoul Silva or, crucially, Blofeld Christoph Waltz – who actually upstages the new baddie in his own film. A Silence of the Lambs style meeting between Bond and an incarcerated Blofeld is more compelling than 007’s later tete-a-tete with Safin, and there’s a sense that the finale – as great as it is – could have landed better with a more flamboyant, charismatic nemesis. By entering your details, you are agreeing to our terms and conditions and privacy policy. You can unsubscribe at any are other flaws, too fan service is to be expected – and, to a degree, even encouraged – in a Bond flick, but there are moments and lines that seem a touch egregious in this regard. Meanwhile, the film’s mammoth cast means that some of the supporting players are underserved, with Naomie Harris as Eve Moneypenny given especially little to do. Ana de Armas makes a great impression with an energetic, flashy performance in her limited role as CIA agent Paloma, but her appearance essentially amounts to little more than a more Who do you think the next James Bond actor will be?And yet, despite all these issues, you simply can’t play down the film’s irresistible entertainment value. There are all the fancy gadgets and exhilarating car chases any Bond fan could possibly want, while you can feel co-writer Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s influence in some of the funnier lines, often uttered by the always brilliant Ben Whishaw as Q. Cary Joji Fukunaga stages the set pieces with an impressive degree of pizzazz – with highlights including a sequence on a burning boat and one in a dark, misty forest – and there are some engaging performances to enjoy from franchise newcomer Lashana Lynch and old-hand Jeffrey Wright, among others. And at the centre of it all is Daniel Craig, who delivers another superb turn that cements his status as one of the very finest Bonds. So much of this era of 007 has been a balancing act between the character’s old school machismo and a more modern sentimental edge, and Craig embodies both qualities with perfection here, while his older age gives the performance another dynamic – this really does feel like a final mission. As with the previous two films, this new one also touches on the issue of Bond’s place in the modern world, dealing with it in an even more head-on manner than earlier attempts, in part through the addition of new character film’s final hour, in particular, is spectacular – on levels both emotional and visceral – and it’s unlikely that many Bond aficionados will leave the cinema short-changed by the terrific finale. If a key theme of the new film is legacies and the things we leave behind, then in a sense No Time To Die is perhaps a perfect embodiment of Craig’s own legacy as Bond there are ups and downs, strengths and weaknesses, but at the end of the day, it’s hard to deny its plentiful charms. If you've heard the rumours, here's our explainer as to whether or not James Bond dies in No Time To Die - and be wary of *big* spoilers!No Time To Die is released in cinemas in the UK on 30th September – visit our Movies hub for more news and features, or find something to watch with our TV Guide.

Asa capstone to Daniel Craig’s run as James Bond, No Time To Die was a fitting end to the current run of 007 thrills. However, in its efforts to

Mr. Bond, we've been expecting you. No film in the 007 franchise has had quite the wait, nor lived under the weight of expectation, like "No Time To Die." A change of director, nearly half a dozen release dates, a studio sale and a global pandemic couldn't defeat the British spy, but he's never been challenged like this before. Six tumultuous years after the last movie, the final chapter of the Daniel Craig era has times it felt like we might not have had this film at all. Craig, in a quote that went far and wide on the tour for "Spectre" in 2015, said he'd rather "slash my wrists" than do another Bond, and his return wasn't confirmed until 2017. By March 2018, British director Danny Boyle was working on a screenplay, then in the summer things began to unravel as "creative differences" emerged."One day Danny left, and for God knows all sorts of very good reasons," recalled Veronique Melery, the film's set decorator. "We found ourselves a bit, I mean, more than lost, waiting for a new director to come in."A month after Boyle's departure in August, Cary Joji Fukunaga of "True Detective" and "Beasts of No Nation" fame was announced as his replacement. He wrote a new story alongside series stalwarts Neal Purvis and Robert Wade, and the shoot began in early 2019. "It was a completely new job," Melery said. "What we did before Cary entered was not relevant anymore."Daniel Craig as James Bond in "No Time to Die." Credit MGM/UniversalSeries gatekeepers, producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson, say each script begins with two questions 1. What is the world going to be afraid of in two or three years when the film comes out? And 2. What are the emotional and personal challenges Bond will face?"The combination of those two things means that we do something fresh each time," said Broccoli. "Of course, now it turned out to be four years hence because of Covid," added Wilson. "You have to get out your crystal ball and take a stab at it. In this particular case, I think we came pretty close to what the world is concerned about."Yes, there is a large irony at the heart of "No Time To Die" that audiences will have to discover for themselves. Without divulging too much, after the prologue we meet up with Bond five years after leaving MI6. But his retirement in a Jamaican idyll is short-lived when an old friend enlists his help after a scientist goes Craig and writer-director Cary Joji Fukunaga talk on set. Credit DANJAQ, LLC AND MGM. ALL RIGHTS RESERVEDAs the last installment in the Craig era's serialized approach to storytelling, there's added pressure to stick its landing. It's also a film advertized as the actor's final appearance. Bond may be an immortal character, but "No Time To Die" represents an notes that stories with long dramatic arcs often conclude disappointingly and was determined to avoid this fate. To do so he returned to the beginning. "I used 'Casino Royale' as his first film as an inspiration of sorts - that's where all these larger arcs are jumping from," he told CNN. "How do we conclude those? Which characters do we bring back? What are the scenarios that were presented over the course of the films that shaped and changed him? And how can these themes be brought back in and see where that leaves us now as a sort of final goodbye?"There was also the question of tone. This is the first Bond post-MeToo - an asteroid if ever there was one for the spy M once called a "sexist, misogynistic dinosaur." The director said that "the more outdated parts of the character were probably weeded out before I came along." Nevertheless, Phoebe Waller-Bridge "Fleabag," "Killing Eve" was brought in to work on the script, and according to Broccoli, inject some British Bond Daniel Craig and Paloma Ana de Armas in "No Time To Die." Credit Nicola Dove/DANJAQ, LLC AND MGM. ALL RIGHTS RESERVEDWhile "No Time To Die" follows the age-old structure of three supporting female characters, it's also keen to set fire to the "rules" circumscribing them. Lashana Lynch's Nomi has taken over the 007 moniker in Bond's retirement, Ana de Armas steals the show in her all too brief appearance as newly-minted CIA agent Paloma, and Lea Seydoux returns as Madeleine Swann in an arc not seen in the films before."I think this movie is 'Bond women,' not so much 'Bond girls,'" argued de Armas. "They're highly skilled, they're powerful and they all show it in their own way. They're equals to Bond ... Times change, and I think that is reflected in the film."But for every progressive element, this is a series grounded in tradition. Location manager Charlie Hayes came on board during what he diplomatically calls the "period of restart." "The script was still in flux," he recalled, and he, Fukunaga and production designer Mark Tildesley kicked around where Bond might go next. Alongside new locations the Faroe Islands there are places more familiar, like Jamaica, long considered the spiritual home of Bond by virtue of his creator Ian Fleming having a villa a UNESCO World Heritage Site in southern Italy, pictured in a scene in "No Time To Die." Credit MGM/UniversalMelery decorated Bond's Jamaican home. It's a rare opportunity; while the books describe the spy's Chelsea apartment, the films have only visited his house on three occasions. "Bond is this character who travels, who doesn't carry his past with him, doesn't really settle easily," she said. That's all changed. "I hope that even if it's really short moments, we understand a bit of this person when we see where he lives." The setting is indicative of a pivot to sharing more of the characters' private lives. In "No Time To Die" we visit Q's apartment complete with a work from home set up many would kill for, and Melery and Tildesley injected more personality into M's office. A Paul Nash painting "Battle of Germany", an abstract work from 1944 of a city under attack, was selected to hang on his wall and features prominently. Nash aficionados will discover the painting speaks to multiple themes within the film. "Nothing is gratuitous," Melery said of her work. "It's a direct connection with himself," she added, explaining the movie shows "a certain kind of failure" and "emotional weakness" from the MI6 chief "which we are not used to."Elsewhere, there are callbacks to the work of the franchise's first production designer, Ken Adam. For the lair belonging to villain Safin Rami Malek, Tildesley and Fukunaga wanted to return to the Brutalist movement that influenced Adam look hard enough and you can find a direct reference to "Dr. No". Full of bare concrete and sharp angels, it's the kind of set few blockbusters pull off these days. With Paul Nash's "Battle of Germany" to their backs, M Ralph Fiennes, Moneypenny Naomie Harris and Tanner Rory Kinnear inside M's office. Credit Nicola Dove/DANJAQ, LLC AND MGM. ALL RIGHTS RESERVEDBut Bond operates on a different scale to most. Hayes worked with all three branches of the British military, and a C-17 RAF warplane and a Royal Navy Type 45 destroyer both have supporting roles. A car chase through Matera in southern Italy meant commandeering the main road running up and down the hilltop town and UNESCO World Heritage Site. For an early scene involving figures in military garb abseiling down a London skyscraper, a team hung cameras from buildings in Canary Wharf and stitched the shot together with actors on a studio set. The name Bond "definitely gets you through the door," Hayes said. "They know you're professional, they know that they're in good hands."Characters abseiling down a skyscraper in a scene in "No Time To Die." Credit MGM/UniversalIt's the scale of the film - as well as the occasion - that its creators hope will entice audiences back into cinemas after three release dates April 2020, November 2020 and April 2021 were nixed due to the pandemic. "We literally shot on IMAX," said Fukunaga. "Just being around an audience and feeling the laughs and the tension and that sort of collective, contagious energy of being in an audience ... I think the film plays very well to all those things."Even the actor behind Q believes it's time for audiences to put the gadgets away. "This one has an incredible scale and spectacle and visual imagination," Ben Whishaw said. "It would be really so disappointing if people were watching it at home or, even worse, on their phones on YouTube."With UK cinemas hiring extra staff to cover bumper ticket sales, early indications are good. Where the franchise goes next is less certain. Amazon, which recently bought MGM Studios co-owner of the rights to Bond, says it is committed to the theatrical release of future titles. Meanwhile, Broccoli says the new face of Bond won't be considered until Swann Lea Seydoux and James Bond in "No Time To Die." Credit DANJAQ, LLC AND MGM. ALL RIGHTS RESERVEDFor now, the limelight is firmly on Craig, an actor who has overhauled the spy and seems to finally be at peace with the franchise just as he makes for the exit. "He Craig brought a modernity to the character that we haven't seen in previous iterations," said Fukunaga. "He showed us a very complicated man, with damage and with a heart - a beating heart - as well as being an effective killer." How will he be remembered? "I think very fondly.""With his portrayal we've really been able to explore the emotional life of Bond. We've seen him cry in films. We've seen him bleed," said Broccoli. "We've seen him be very vulnerable. And I think that's one of the trademarks of his extraordinary reign." And now it's all over. The film is soon to be with audiences and Broccoli, Wilson and co. will be back staring into their crystal ball. But for Craig's Bond at least, the job is by Thomas Page and Sandy Thin.

NoTime to Die is the twenty-fifth film in the James Bond series produced by EON Productions for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer via United Artists Releasing. Like several previous films, No Time To Die was written by Neal Purvis and Robert Wade and features actor Daniel Craig in his fifth and final performance as James Bond as Craig stated he will not return as Bond in the future. [10]

The mission that changes everything begins… Who's Involved Ralph Fiennes, Billy Magnussen, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Daniel Craig, David Dencik, Lashana Lynch, Naomie Harris, Rami Malek, Jeffrey Wright, Ana de Armas, Michael Wilson, Ben Whishaw, Cary Joji Fukunaga, Scott Z. Burns, Robert Wade, Barbara Broccoli, John Hodge, Léa Seydoux, Rory Stewart Kinnear, Neal Purvis, Rory Kinnear, Dali Benssalah PG-13 PARENTS STRONGLY CAUTIONED MPA sequences of violence and action, some disturbing images, brief strong language and some suggestive material. Runtime N/A Language English ContentsPlotCast/CrewTrailers ProductionReleases Photos Q / A Plot What's the story about? In No Time To Die, Bond has left active service and is enjoying a tranquil life in Jamaica. His peace is short-lived when his old friend Felix Leiter from the CIA turns up asking for help. The mission to rescue a kidnapped scientist turns out to be far more treacherous than expected, leading Bond onto the trail of a mysterious villain armed with dangerous new technology. / 5 stars 22 users Poll Will you see No Time to Die? Who stars in No Time to Die Cast List Who's making No Time to Die Crew List A look at the No Time to Die behind-the-scenes crew and production team. The film's director Cary Joji Fukunaga last directed Maniac and Beasts Of No Nation. The film's writer Neal Purvis last wrote Spectre and Skyfall. Producers Barbara Broccoli Michael Wilson Watch No Time to Die Trailers & Videos Production What we know about No Time to Die? Key Facts Universal Pictures will release the pic overseas 12/9/2018. Neal Purvis and Robert Wade have teamed up on the screenplays for the last six Bond installments, starting with 1999's The World Is Not Enough 7/25/17. Filming Timeline September 2021 The film was in Completed status. October 2019 The film was in Post-Production status. April 2019 The film was in Production status. Principal photography on the 25th James Bond film begins on April 28, 2019. February 2019 The film was in Pre-Production status. Starts shooting March 4, 2019. June 2018 The film was in Pre-Production status. March 2018 The film was in Development status. Danny Boyle has confirmed that he’s going to direct the next Bond movie. John Hodge is writing the script. July 2017 The film was in Development status. A release date of November 8, 2019 has been announced. October 2012 The film was in Announced status. Screenwriter John Logan Gladiator, Hugo has signed on to write not one but two 007 films with a two-movie arc. Q&A Asked about No Time to Die Mar. 11, 2020 What pistols does James Bond use in this movie? Sep. 8, 2020 Machine gunspoiler Looking for more information on No Time to Die? When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an commission. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. Official Movie Site + Social Media Links Official Site Official Twitter Official Facebook Official Instagram Official YouTube Channel Across the Web Get Tickets + Showtimes Get Digital Copy Buy on Amazon More Info on IMDb

JamesBond's Aston Martin DB5, reporting for duty in No Time to Die. MGM In the bright sunlight, Matera becomes a more visually contrasty town, and with its narrow, stone-structured alleys

This column discusses the plot and ending of “No Time to Die,” in extensive any conventional measure, James Bond is a conservative. He’s a killer in defense of what’s left of the British Empire, an exemplar of bygone gender norms and a tuxedo aficionado in a casual Daniel Craig’s five-movie run as 007, which ended with this weekend’s release of “No Time to Die,” has a radical streak concealed under that Savile Row attire. Craig’s Bond has been criticized as no fun. But a sense of self-hatred and doubt about his mission is precisely what gave his turn in the iconic role its edge, and what made this era’s version of a very old franchise feel, at times, genuinely viewers met Craig’s Bond in “Casino Royale,” he was being inducted into the highest levels of an institution that, while diminished, retained some of its former dash. His boss might long for the clarity of the Cold War; Bond needs help and money from the Central Intelligence Agency to pull off his mission. But MI6 still had power and, more important, moral facade crumbles in subsequent Bond movies, sometimes movies later, in “Skyfall,” MI6’s headquarters are destroyed in an attack. The culprit turns out to be a man determined to pay the agency back for the sins its mission makes inevitable an agent who was disavowed by the British government and abandoned to be tortured by the Chinese subsequent film, “Spectre,” argued that the broader British intelligence community had decayed beyond mere moral compromise, always a staple of spy stories. Now, it was weak enough to be manipulated from without into adopting programs and policies that violated those in “No Time to Die,” it’s those ideals themselves that are the source of danger. In an effort to create a targeted weapon that could be used to supplant the double-0 program, MI6 head Gareth Mallory greenlights technology that can also be used to wipe out families or even entire genetic lineages. When Bond’s efforts to destroy the technology are thwarted, the only course left is to destroy a facility that Bond is no longer able to escape. After decades of killing on-screen to uphold the values of the British intelligence system, Bond dies to clean up that system’s mistakes. It’s a conclusion befitting a world that spent August grimly riveted by the collapse of the and British- backed regime in Afghanistan after 20 years of war.“No Time to Die” ends with Mallory and colleagues toasting Bond’s memory and pledging to get back to work. What they don’t say is as important as what they do. As bad as the villains that this Bond faced off with may have been, there’s no real making up for Britain’s own in “No Time to Die,” redemption of another sort remains largely out of reach — of Bond, for his casual treatment of Lynd, the acid-tongued treasury agent who accompanied Bond to a high-stakes poker game in “Casino Royale,” accused Bond of seeing “women as disposable pleasures rather than meaningful pursuits.” It was a neat summation of the way the franchise often treated the so-called Bond girls. And while the Craig-era Bond treated sex as both a personal tool and a professional indulgence, the movies also played with another idea that Bond might be capable of love, but alternatively lacked good judgment in his selection of partners or the ability to trust women who deserved “No Time to Die,” Bond still mourns Lynd even as he’s attempting to start a life with Madeleine Swann, a psychiatrist he met during the previous film who turns out to have a dangerous secret. But he’s quick to decide that she, too, has betrayed him. His decision to leave Swann turns out to be a fateful one. It deprives Bond of the opportunity to know the daughter he never knew he a long tradition of men discovering that women deserve equal rights only after fathering them. In a more sentimental franchise, Bond might have made up for his past failures with women by becoming a present father to one and a good partner to another. In this one, the only thing Bond can do for the women in his life is die for them. Bond may have been a soft misogynist rather than the sort of abuser making contemporary headlines, but for all its other silly touches, “No Time to Die” doesn’t really go in for the cheap idea as a third-act Naomie Harris’s Moneypenny teased Bond in “Skyfall,” the Craig era proved that old dogs and old franchises can learn at least some new tricks. The question these movies leave behind is whether aging empires can make a similar transformation.

Craigpreviously sported the luxury British style brand’s garments in 2012’s Skyfall and 2015’s Spectre.But for his final portrayal of Bond in

In collaboration with the latest James Bond film release, shop the wardrobe of No Time To Die. This iconic collection... In collaboration with the latest James Bond film release, shop the wardrobe of No Time To Die. This iconic collection offers pieces from the spy’s most recent appearance as 007, including our No Time To Die ribbed sweater, designed for the spy, alongside the costume department, which has already proved immensely popular. Alongside our 007 menswear for the new Bond film, our cashmere offering also includes Bond Woman styles created for Madeleine Swann, such as our No Time To Die round neck tee in a soft, natural palette. Explore our full range of No Time To Die clothing below, or browse selections from other popular Bond films, such as the Spectre collection and our Skyfall clothing. Shop online today for complimentary delivery and bespoke gift wrapping on all orders. Inan interview with Total Film magazine (via NME ), Morrison revealed that for Craig’s final Bond outing “ No Time to Die ” they came

“No Time to Die” has given “Venom Let There Be Carnage” almost no time to bask in its record-breaking theatrical debut, unseating the Marvel blockbuster atop the domestic box office with a solid $56 million opening, according to estimates from measurement firm domestically by United Artists Releasing via MGM and EON, the latest installment in the James Bond franchise squarely met expectations in North American markets this weekend while continuing to make a killing overseas. “No Time to Die” comes in fourth place behind other Daniel Craig-starring Bond entries “Quantum of Solace,” which launched domestically at $ million in 2008; “Skyfall,” which raked in $ million in 2012; and “Spectre,” which grossed $ million in by Cary Joji Fukunaga, the highly anticipated film also stars Rami Malek, Léa Seydoux, Lashana Lynch, Ben Whishaw, Naomie Harris, Jeffrey Wright, Christoph Waltz, Ralph Fiennes and Ana de hitting theaters, Craig’s final outing as 007 notched a whopping $ million internationally last weekend — exceeding projections and becoming the first film since the COVID-19 crisis to launch at more than $100 million abroad without playing in of Sunday, the long-delayed spy adventure was eyeing an international cumulative of $ million and a global cumulative of $ million.“The character is decidedly from outside of North America. The international flair and flavor of the Bond movies, and the locations that these movies are shot in — I mean, you can sit in a movie theater and be transported all over the world in a Bond movie — that makes these films naturally have international appeal,” said Paul Dergarabedian, a senior media analyst at Comscore.“I think that’s why this film is already at over $300 million globally.”The worldwide draw of the Bond saga also heavily informed United Artists Releasing and international distributor Universal’s move to repeatedly postpone the film, which was the first major title to abandon its original release date at the start of the COVID-19 the movie was first postponed in early March 2020, “international territories were shutting down, and it was Italy that was having a problem,” said Erik Lomis, head of distribution for United Artists Releasing.“The Bond films have historically been so heavily weighted overseas ... it was not going to be a viable option to keep the date. And then when we moved it, I thought the was going to be fine. ... I thought, even if [COVID-19] got here, it wouldn’t get here that quickly. And my customers were going crazy, saying I jumped the gun.”Fast forward nearly two years, and “No Time to Die” is among several blockbuster properties endeavoring to lure cautious moviegoers back into theaters after an unprecedented and widespread cinema shutdown triggered by the public health crisis.“Even as much as two, three months ago, we were not sure we were going to be able to open” in the Lomis separates the Bond films from those of other major movie institutions, however, is their target demographic. Because of the franchise’s decades-long, storied history, the audience for 007 entries tends to skew a bit older. And moviegoers over 45, for example, don’t typically rush to theaters all at once on opening weekend, Dergarabedian 57 percent of North American viewers for “No Time to Die” were over 35 and 36 percent were over 45, according to United Artists Releasing. Sixty-four percent were male. For 30 percent of those over 45, “No Time to Die” marked their first trip to a theater since the beginning of the pandemic.“Given the demographic pull for the film, we can’t expect the same kind of box office” success attained by younger-skewing properties, such as “Venom Let There Be Carnage” — which set the three-day weekend, pandemic box office record last week at $ million — from a Bond film, Dergarabedian said.“These movies go way back, but the biggest opening weekend for any Bond movie was Skyfall,’” Dergarabedian added. “No Bond movie has ever opened over $100 million, but they do tend to ... have long-term playability.”Speaking of “Let There Be Carnage,” the sophomore installment in the wildly popular “Venom” franchise occupied the No. 2 slot at the domestic box office this weekend with $32 million — a 64 percent drop — for a North American cumulative of $ out the top five are the animated Halloween flick “Addams Family 2,” which scared up $10 million for a cumulative $ million; Marvel’s “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings,” which added $ million for a cumulative $ million; and “Sopranos” prequel “The Many Saints of Newark,” which made $ million for a cumulative $ next is the latest installment in the ever-popular “Halloween” saga Oct. 15 and Oscar-nominated director Denis Villeneuve’s star-studded adaptation of “Dune” Oct. 22.

Andso, in what now seems like an inevitable course-correction, “No Time to Die” is a story about the need to leave certain things behind. It’s the modern spy movie equivalent of

^{While the James Bond of Ian Fleming's novels started out driving Bentleys, the cinematic version of Britain's most famous spy has been an Aston Martin man since Sean Connery drove a DB5 in 1964's Goldfinger. Sure, Bond has had other automotive dalliances since then, including the subaquatic Lotus Esprit in The Spy Who Loved Me and that unfortunate BMW period, which started with a four-cylinder Z3. But in No Time to Die—finally released after long pandemic-related delays—007 honors his silver-screen roots with a chase in a 1963 DB5. This posed two problems for producers. A pristine DB5 is now worth seven figures, and, equally significant, Aston's early-1960s grand tourers don't have the athleticism to pull off stunts for a modern Bond movie. The solution was both simple and hugely complicated build eight replicas with modern mechanicals that could be used and used up in the crash-and-bash parts. DANJAQ, LLC AND MGM We visited the movie set in the Italian town of Matera in the summer of 2019 when one of the DB5's main action sequences was being shot. As, indeed, was one of the stunt cars. For this scene, the DB5 was surrounded by a murderous mob and subjected to withering automatic gunfire as cameras filmed multiple takes and angles. Our interviews were conducted to the background noise of fusillades of shots and amplified instructions from the crew's coordinator Neil Layton prepares the replicas for the demands of different sequences, a job made easier by the vehicles' removable carbon-fiber bodywork and mounting points that allow cameras to be carried. But Layton, a former rally engineer with Prodrive in the says that the suspension design—a pair of control arms at each corner and rallycross springs and dampers—is the most important detail. "You've got to maintain a standard ride height or the car will look wrong," he explains. "The challenge is the big jumps. We've got a massive amount of droop on these vehicles. That's what we use to arrest the car and control it." DANJAQ, LLC AND MGM Mark Higgins, a former British rally champion and one of the world's acknowledged talents for high-precision stuff, is at the wheel for most of the stunts, which weren't planned or storyboarded before the crew arrived. "We had some ideas, but we wanted to walk around and see what was possible," Higgins tells us. The team quickly discovered that Matera's roads weren't grippy enough. "In places, it was like ice," he says. "Rear grip isn't an issue. You want it to look exciting, so we don't mind going sideways. But front grip is key; if you haven't got speed, you can't do anything." To increase adhesion, the crew sprayed the corners with several hundred gallons of full-sugar cola. Higgins says he has learned not to make the driving look too slick or rehearsed. "What the director is looking for and what I think is cool can be totally different," he admits. "You can have a lovely drift scene and it feels great, but it doesn't look real. You have to make it look scrappy, not fluid." The rally champ's driving skills are on full display in the DB5's big scene. In No Time to Die, the Aston has been substantially upgraded from the original Goldfinger car. Instead of twin Browning machine guns that deploy from the turn signals, the new DB5 has multibarreled miniguns coming through the headlights. "The idea was to pay homage but also move it on, to give it a little bit of an upgrade," says special-effects supremo Chris Corbould, a veteran of 15 Bond films. And how better to distribute the DB5's firepower against villains on all sides than with a massive tire-smoking donut?You can see a little bit of this in the movie trailer and the officially sanctioned shot above, but it didn't work out on the day of our visit as the guns malfunctioned, disgorging hundreds of cartridges while the barrels refused to spin. The good news is, you'll be able to see the full stunt in a theater near you, because the film opens in the on October 8.} .

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