After Four Films NO TIME TO DIE Will Be A Fitting Farewell To Daniel Craig As Ian Flemming’s Iconic Spy James Bond

Due for a spectacular debut at the Royal Albert Hall in London on 28 September 2021, No Time to Die will receive a gala premiere. As the last instalment of the rebooted James Bond franchise which opened with Casino Royale in 2006, this will be the fifth and final appearance for Daniel Craig in the iconic 007 role.

The wait is over. The final international trailer for #NoTimeToDie. In cinemas from September 30. pic.twitter.com/ld26viOcD6

— James Bond (@007) August 31, 2021

The brief synopsis is that when the upcoming movie opens, James Bond has left active service and resides in Jamaica, before friend and CIA operative Felix Leiter seeks his aid, launching a mission to rescue a kidnapped scientist. Unsurprisingly, this turns out to be far more perilous than planned, leading Bond to pursue a mysterious new villain who threatens the world with a new and dangerous technology.

Initial trailers have already given fans carefully teased glimpses of what we can expect, including the reprisal of several popular characters and our first look at the new supervillain. As we have come to expect, this will be an authentic Bond blockbuster, packed with tense and thrilling action scenes, plenty of intrigue and suspense, all building up to what promises to be a remarkable grand finale for Craig as our favourite British superspy.

Last roll of the dice

While it will be strange to think this is the final outing for Daniel Craig as James Bond, we can be fairly certain he will go out with a bang, which is one of the reasons why this 25th movie of the franchise is eagerly anticipated by moviegoers. It’s also a fairly safe bet to assume our favourite fictional superspy will be taking plenty of risks during No Time to Die, even staking his life during the pursuit of villains. But will there be any casino scenes this time?

Gambling has been a recurring theme in the story of James Bond, who can often be found playing for the highest stakes at casino tables, throughout many movies in the official franchise. One of the reasons for this is that when author Ian Fleming created original character, his books often depicted Bond playing Chemin-de-fer as his preferred game, which is a variant of the casino card game Baccarat.

In the movies, Bond actually played Chemin-de-fer in Dr. No and Thunderball, then again in scenes during On Her Majesty’s Secret Service and GoldenEye. Gin Rummy was the card game played in Goldfinger, while Craps was the game of choice in Diamonds Are Forever, when Bond was in the fabled casino city of Las Vegas.

Bond upped his game and raised the stakes

Fortune was with Bond for a key scene during On Her Majesty’s Secret Service featuring Roulette, with the strategic board game of Backgammon featuring in Octopussy. The Asian dice game of Sic Bo first appeared in The Man with the Golden Gun, then returned in Skyfall amidst the spectacular scenery of the Floating Dragon Casino in Macao.

Bond played Blackjack in one scene from Licence to Kill, as changing times and casino gaming influences inspired which card games were chosen. Although 007 played Baccarat in the original Casino Royale book, this was changed for Texas Hold’em poker in the 2006 movie when the franchise was rebooted, due to the huge popularity of the game at this time.

We can play all of these casino games ourselves, albeit without the financial backing of the British Secret Service, which means exploring the VSO guide to online casino offers is probably a good idea. This explains what each kind of bonus means, along with the wagering requirements, accompanied by detailed reviews of the casinos where they can be found.

Who will be the next Bond?

Now that Daniel Craig is turning in Bond’s easy to conceal Walther PPK gun, along with the iconic black tuxedo, we have to wonder who will next be stepping into the legendary cinematic role. Interestingly, it’s Lashana Lynch as Nomi who inherits the 007 license to kill codename at the start of No Time to Die, with Bond having left active service. However, it’s hard to imagine the franchise permanently casting a female character, unless there are spinoffs planned.

#JamesBond producer Barbara Broccoli: “You can only be in love with one person at a time. Once [No Time To Die]’s out... then we’ll have to get on to the business of the future. But for now, we just cannot think about anything beyond Daniel.” https://t.co/Tbg4BHagrr

— Total Film (@totalfilm) October 14, 2020

This means a whole host of male actors have been tipped for the iconic role. Idris Elba cheekily tweeted “My name’s Elba, Idris Elba” back in 2018, causing a frenzy within movie industry gossip columns. He certainly boasts the right credentials, perfectly suited to such a suave and sophisticated role, along with the physique to carry action scenes well.

“We just cannot think about anything beyond Daniel,” explained franchise producer Barbara Broccoli, when questioned by Total Film about who the next Bond might be. “Eventually, when we have to think about it, we’ll find the right person,” she concluded. This indicates that until the dust settles on No Time to Die, no decisions will be forthcoming, which means we could be a few years away from knowing for certain.