5 Facts About James Bond’s New Mission, No Time to Die

(Updated 01/22/2021)

He's been laying low for five years, but James Bond is suiting up to get back on the big screen in 2021. Because the production of a new Bond movie can be as secretive as the character's own missions, the sequel to SKYFALL AND SPECTRE has been known as "Bond 25" since 2015.

Now the super-spy's new outing has a title. 007 returns in NO TIME TO DIE, which will open in the US on October 8, 2021. Here are five facts you need to know about the new James Bond movie.

Who Plays James Bond?

In NO TIME TO DIE, Daniel Craig returns to the role of James Bond. It's his fifth time playing the part, and is speculated to be his final outing in Bond's slim-fitting suits.

What Is No Time to Die About?

[Image Credit: MGM/Sony Pictures]

To field this question, we'll turn directly to United Artists Releasing, and the official synopsis.

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.

Sequel or Standalone?

[Image Credit: MGM/Sony Pictures]

The James Bond movies of years past don't all tell a single unified story. Characters and story ideas do flow through some of the films, but most of Bond's big-screen history is episodic. The Daniel Craig movies, however, which began with CASINO ROYALE in 2006, have been more interconnected than most.

That's not to say that you can't enjoy NO TIME TO DIE if you haven't seen the other Daniel Craig movies. These films are made to be enjoyed by everyone. But there will certainly be some story continuity, and those who have been following along may well get the sense of some story closure.

Time to Die… at the Hands of a New Villain

[Image Credit: USA Networks]

One returning character in NO TIME TO DIE is Ernst Stavro Blofeld, played by Christoph Waltz. We saw Waltz as a new version of this classic Bond baddie in SPECTRE, and while we do not know precisely how he factors into this new outing, he will be involved.

The true villain of NO TIME TO DIE, however, is played by Rami Malek. Like Christoph Waltz, Malek is an Oscar winner. (He took the Best Actor statue for his work in BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY.) It seems like Malek's character will be a terrorist of some kind, but that isn't very specific — "terrorist" could describe a great many Bond antagonists over the years.

The Meaning of the Title

[Image Credit: MGM/Sony Pictures]

This is certainly a title worthy of a Bond outing, as it is evocative of previous names, like LIVE AND LET DIE and DIE ANOTHER DAY. While many of the early James Bond movies were adapted — often loosely — from novels by character creator Ian Fleming, that's not the case with most of the recent films. NO TIME TO DIE is not based on one novel. There are enough elements at play, such as a rogue scientist and the Jamaica location, that fans wonder if this might be a sneaky remake of DR. NO, the first Bond movie. That's pure speculation at this point, however.

We do know that NO TIME TO DIE is directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga, from a script by Neal Purvis & Robert Wade (SPECTRE, SKYFALL), Cary Joji Fukunaga, Scott Z. Burns (CONTAGION, THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM) and Phoebe Waller-Bridge ("Killing Eve," "Fleabag"). The cast also features Léa Seydoux, Lashana Lynch, Ben Whishaw, Naomie Harris, Billy Magnussen, Ana de Armas, Rory Kinnear, David Dencik and Dali Benssalah, with Jeffrey Wright and Ralph Fiennes.

Want to learn more about NO TIME TO DIE?

All images courtesy of United Artists Releasing, unless otherwise specified.