Biography
No Time to Die is a 2021 spy film and the twenty-fifth in the James Bond series produced by Eon Productions, starring Daniel Craig in his fifth and final portrayal of fictional British MI6 agent James Bond. The plot follows Bond, who has left active service with MI6, and is recruited by the CIA to find a kidnapped scientist, which leads to a showdown with a powerful and vengeful adversary armed with a technology capable of killing millions.
It was directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga from a screenplay he co-wrote with Neal Purvis, Robert Wade and Phoebe Waller-Bridge, based on a story conceived by Purvis, Wade and Fukunaga. Léa Seydoux, Ben Whishaw, Naomie Harris, Jeffrey Wright, Christoph Waltz, Ralph Fiennes, and Rory Kinnear reprise their roles from previous films, with Rami Malek, Lashana Lynch, Billy Magnussen, Ana de Armas, David Dencik and Dali Benssalah also starring. It is the first James Bond film to be distributed by Universal Pictures, which acquired international distribution rights after the expiration of Sony Pictures' contract following the release of Spectre in 2015. United Artists Releasing holds the rights for North America, as well as worldwide digital and television rights; Universal also holds the worldwide rights for physical home media.
Development on the film began in 2016. Danny Boyle was originally attached to direct and co-write the screenplay with John Hodge. Both left in August 2018 due to creative differences, and Fukunaga was announced as Boyle's replacement one month later. Most of the cast had signed by April 2019. Principal photography took place from April to October 2019. Billie Eilish performed the theme song of the same name, while Hans Zimmer scored the film, with Steve Mazzaro serving as score producer.
After being delayed by Boyle's departure and later by the COVID-19 pandemic, No Time to Die premiered at the Royal Albert Hall in London on 28 September 2021. It was theatrically released on 30 September 2021 in the United Kingdom and on 8 October 2021 in the United States. The film received positive reviews from critics and grossed over $774 million worldwide, making it the fourth-highest-grossing film of 2021 and the third-highest grossing Bond film. In addition, it earned several other box-office record achievements, including becoming the third-highest-grossing film of all time in the UK. The film was nominated for three awards at the 94th Academy Awards, winning Best Original Song, and received numerous other accolades.