Should James Bond movies come to a stop now or will the franchise continue? Daniel Craig will be making his fifth and final appearance as the British spy in No Time To Die and we currently have no confirmed replacement, just a number of rumors. Perhaps it wouldn’t be so bad if the 007 era finally came to an end.
The first Bond film hit theaters in 1962 and by the time No Time To Die is released, Bond will have endured for 57 years on the big screen. It’s been a good run so perhaps there’s no shame in wrapping things up. But is an end really needed? Here’s why No Time To Die should be the last Bond movie, and why there should be more.
End It: There Are Better Spy Heroes At The Moment
The first and most obvious one is Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise). Recently, the Mission Impossible films have become way more entertaining than the Bond films. This has been achieved by the perfect blend of good storylines, Cruise’s daredevilry, and endless action scenes. The highly-entertaining Mission Impossible: Fallout set the bar even higher.
Keep It Going: The Franchise Is A Cash Cow
From a business perspective, it would make no sense to end the franchise. The last Bond movie made $880 million globally and according to Forbes, Bond films have made $16.3 billion overall (adjusted for inflation). Eon Productions focuses primarily on making Bond films, so the company would possibly go bankrupt if it says goodbye to Mr. Bond.
The huge commercial figures also show that there’s still plenty of fan interest. Bond has been the most popular fictional spy since Ian Fleming introduced him to the world via his novels in the 50s. That hasn’t changed much so keep it going.
End It: Bond Doesn’t Fit In The Modern Era
Bond was first introduced to the world back in 1953 courtesy of Ian Fleming’s novels. The themes used in the novel were based in the era and a good number of themes aren’t applicable today. Bond’s portrayal as a Cassanova and playful chauvinist doesn’t fit into the modern era either.
It’s no longer considered acceptable for Bond to sleep with four different women in a movie and forget about them. It’s thus not surprising that for the first time, one Bond girl, Dr. Madeleine Swann (Lea Seydoux), is being involved in two movies in a row.
Keep It Going: There’s Still Plenty Of Material Left To Explore
Even though modern Bond films have told additional stories that Fleming never thought about, most Bond films draw inspiration from the novels. And there’s still plenty of material that hasn’t made its way to the big screen yet. A couple of Fleming’s short stories like Risico, The Hildebrand Rarity, The Property Of A Lady and 007 In New York could work as movies too.
There are also plenty of good post-Fleming Bond novels that were written by other authors. There’s Carte Blanche (which could actually be a cool title for a movie) by Jeffrey Deaver, Devil May Care by Sebastian Faulks and Trigger Mortis by the renowned Anthony Horowitz. All these could be adapted into movies.
End It: To Make Room For A Spinoff With A Female Lead
There have been endless debates about a female James Bond. And the producers have partially made this happen since there will be a female 007 played by the phenomenal Lashana Lynch in No Time To Die. James is still there, he’s just not 007 anymore. At least that’s how the movie will start. There’s still a chance that he’ll have regained his code name by the end of the movie.
But how interesting will it be if Bond dies, hence making No Time To Die the last ever James Bond movie? After such shocking events, Nomi (Lashana Lynch) gets her own spinoff. Then going forward, we’ll have female 007 agents. It’s a move that will create controversy but it just might work.
Keep It Going: A New Journey With A New Actor
The producers have always known how to keep things in the franchise fresh. The most obvious way which they do that is to hire a new actor every single year. And every actor has been different from those that preceded him, With Craig’s time done, it would be interesting to see what the next Bond actor will have to offer.
By the early 2000s, the Bond franchise was going stale then Craig’s introduction made 007 awesome again. Things can’t be classified as stale at the moment, so the introduction of a new actor and the resulting excitement (or outrage) is set to make the franchise even bigger and better.
End It: The Stunts Are Getting Ridiculous Again
The latest trailer for No Time To Die showed Bond riding a motorcycle at full speed through a very steep (almost vertical wall), and for that, we say, end it! Bond films appear to be going the Fast & Furious route. This is a shame because when Craig first came on board, his Bond seemed to have ditched all the over-the-top absurdity and gadgets.
There were absolutely no gadgets in Casino Royale for example, but lately, Q has returned and with him, the gadgets have been abundant. The trailer also showed the headlights on Bond’s car making way for machine guns. Can’t he just shoot the bad guys himself?
Keep It Going: Critics Are In Love
Ever since Craig took over as Bond, none of the films has scored less than 60% on Rotten Tomatoes. A movie must have at least 60% to be certified fresh, so the franchise is doing really well in the eyes of critics. Even the forgettable Quantum Of Solace had 65%.
Pierce Brosnan was a likable Bond too but his final three films all had less than 60% on Rotten Tomatoes. Critics have gone from hating the franchise to loving it. This is maybe due to due to Craig’s great acting skills. But if the reviews are good, why discontinue?
End It: The Supervillain Plots Never Get Better
Bond supervillains are never that intelligent. All of them always want to destroy the world or cause revenge for no justifiable reasons. Think of Trevelyan wanting to cripple Britain’s economy because his parents were killed. Its almost as if the Bond villains exist to make Bond appear cooler. This was okay in the previous millennium but in the modern era, this isn’t good enough.
We live in an age of cool supervillains and antiheroes. Think of Thanos and the Joker. These villains usually have well-calculated schemes that bring their heroes to their knees. Seeing a hero suffer so much before finally rising, in the end, is what makes movies cool. Sadly, Bond usually has an easy time, most of the time.
Keep It Going: The Best Directors Have Salivated Over Bond
It would be a shame to end the Bond movies without getting one more big director. With what Sam Mendes did with Skyfall and Spectre, we know how good a Bond movie can be if handed over to a super director. Christopher Nolan has always expressed interest in directing a Bond film. Quentin Tarantino wanted in too.
Given that Tarantino said he’ll retire after his 10th film and he’s already made his 9th, it would be too awesome for him to finish off with a Bond film. If Leonardo DiCaprio was British, Quentin would definitely go with him for the role. On a serious note, the franchise should be kept going so that more good directors can have a taste of it and give us even better films as a result.
