MGM
After 15 years of donning Tom Ford suits and whipping Aston Martins, Daniel Craig walks away from James Bond as the longest-tenured actor in the role.
Back when Craig first appeared as 007 in 2006’s Casino Royale, Facebook was still just a college campus cult hit and had only been around for a couple of years, the iPhone hadn’t even been invented yet, and the highest-grossing movie of the year was Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest. Society is, undeniably, different these days — the world Craig enters as an ex-James Bond actor is far different than the one that existed when he first took over.
Over those 15 years, Craig has conjured up a gravitas that’s similar to the likes of Michael Keaton’s Batman or Christopher Reeves’ Superman, wherein an entire generation that has been raised on his performances feel as though he’s become so synonymous with the role that it’s now nearly impossible to picture anyone else playing the part. Nevertheless, someone out there will be tapped with the daunting task of succeeding Craig’s now-iconic 007 and it will likely happen sooner than you think, as longtime Bond producer Barbara Broccoli recently said the casting process will begin next year in 2022.
With that in mind, during an interview with BroBible’s Post-Credit Podcast, we asked No Time To Die director Cary Fukunaga about what he thinks Craig brings to the role that his successor will have the most difficult time living up to. In short, Fukunaga believes Craig brings a full package of charisma to the table that’s difficult for any actor to replicate regardless of the role.
BroBible: What do you think Daniel Craig brings to James Bond that the next person to play the character is going to have the hardest time living up to?
Cary Fukunaga: “I think it’s the balance that Daniel brings between brute force — the physical presence that seems like he is capable of violence on the turn of a dime — but also the vulnerability and humanity and the intelligence he brings. To have that potent mixture is not common, and especially as an actor, to be able to bring that requires a certain intangible charisma that if you don’t have it, unfortunately, you’re never gonna have it.”
Given how great No Time To Die is, the process of following in Craig’s footsteps has, somehow, become all the more difficult. To whichever lucky actor is brave enough to take on the challenge, we wish you nothing but luck.
REVIEW: ‘No Time To Die’ Is Just A Solid Movie But An Excellent James Bond Adventure
No Time To Die will hit theaters in the United States on Friday, October 8. In addition to Daniel Craig, the film also stars Rami Malek, Ralph Fiennes, Ana de Armas, Christoph Waltz, Léa Seydoux, Ben Whishaw, Naomie Harris, Lashana Lynch, Jeffrey Wright, Rory Kinnear, and Billy Magnussen. Make sure to keep your eyes out for our full interview with Fukunaga, which will drop in written and podcast form later this week.
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