No Time to Die: everything you need to know about the new James Bond film

The arrival of a new James Bond film is always an exciting movie event, and upcoming release, No Time to Die, looks like it will be no exception to that rule.

No Time to Die, the 25th Bond movie to date, has recruited teenage sensation Billie Eilish to sing the new theme tune and assembled a similarly talented cast for the film itself.

Here’s everything you need about No Time to Die.

What is the new Bond about?

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No Time to Die finds Bond having left MI6 some time after the events of Spectre. He appears to have turned his back completely on his former line of work, until his long-time collaborator CIA Agent Felix Leiter approaches him for a favour.

A scientist named Valdo Obruchev has been abducted, putting the whole world in danger once again and forcing Bond to dust off his tuxedo one last time.

Is this Daniel Craig’s final Bond film?

Daniel Craig will return for one last mission as 007 himself, following on from his starring turns in Casino Royale (2006), Quantum of Solace (2008), Skyfall (2012) and Spectre (2015).

After Spectre, Craig told Time Out that we would rather “slash his wrists” than make another Bond movie and speculation began about who would replace him in the iconic role.

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“If I did another Bond movie, it would only be for the money,” he claimed.

However, a more recent interview with Empire suggested that he was not entirely satisfied with the note Spectre left things on, “Somehow it felt like we needed to finish something off. If I’d left it at Spectre, something at the back of my head would have been going, ‘I wish I’d done one more.’”

Idris Elba, Cillian Murphy and Michael Fassbender were all rumoured before Craig ultimately signed on for one last movie. The 51 year old actor has confirmed that this time he really is done, so the franchise will need to find a new Bond for his next adventure.

Who else stars in No Time to Die?

Christoph Waltz

Academy Award-winning actor Christoph Waltz will reprise his role from Spectre as Bond’s estranged brother and classic nemesis, Blofeld.

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After winning an Oscar for his similarly villainous turn in 2009’s Inglourious Basterds, Waltz has gone on to star in major films like Django Unchained, Alita: Battle Angel and Downsizing. He also appeared as himself in 2014’s Muppets Most Wanted.

Lea Seydoux

Waltz’s Basterds co-star, acclaimed French actor Lea Seydoux, will also be returning in her Spectre role as Dr Madeleine Swann.

Seydoux is mostly known for her role in the controversial queer romance Blue is the Warmest Colour, and has since appeared in everything from the Bond franchise’s big rival, Mission Impossible to 2018’s canine caper, Isle of Dogs.

Rami Malek

Each new Bond movie requires a charismatic star to deliver to play the role of 007’s latest adversary. Revered actors like Javier Bardem, Mads Mikkelsen and the returning Christoph Waltz have all faced off against Craigs Bond, and now it is Rami Malek’s turn.

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Malek rose to fame playing the lead role in the hugely popular hacker drama Mr Robot. He then became a bonafide movie star with his Oscar-winning turn as legendary Queen frontman Freddie Mercury in 2018’s Bohemian Rhapsody.

The exact identity of Malek’s character have been kept under wraps but we know that he will be Bond’s main enemy in No Time to Die, with many speculating that he could be playing the series’ famous bad guy, Dr No.

Lashana Lynch

Lynch made waves in 2019 with her role as fighter pilot Maria Rambeau in the superhero smash hit, Captain Marvel. Prior to that, she appeared in the 2012 film Fast Girls as well as TV series like Still Star-Crossed.

It has been reported that Lynch will play the new 007 in No Time to Die. While this briefly caused certain sections of the internet to lose their minds, it has been confirmed that she is not the new James Bond – Craig’s character has retired, leaving his code name vacant.

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While Lynch has refused to confirm or deny whether her character will be the one to inherit it, she will certainly be appearing as a ‘00’ agent of some kind.

Ana De Armas

In between Bond movies, Daniel Craig found the time to star in 2019’s much-loved whodunnit, Knives Out. That movie also thrust into the spotlight an actor who looks set to become a household name in 2020 – Ana de Armas.

The Blade Runner 2049 actor is set to star as Hollywood icon Marilyn Monroe in Andrew Dominik’s Blonde, while she will also appear alongside Ben Affleck in the relationship drama Deep Water.

In No Time to Die, de Armas will play a character named Paloma – a CIA Agent charged with assisting Bond and who de Armas has described as “irresponsible” and “bubbly.”

Ralph Fiennes

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Famous English thespian Ralph Fiennes will return as the head of MI6 - Lieutenant Colonel Gareth Mallory, also known as ‘M’. He took on the role after Judi Dench’s character was killed in Skyfall.

Fiennes is a highly respected stage actor who moved into film and has been twice nominated for an Academy Award thanks to his roles Schindler’s List and The English Patient.

Younger fans may be more familiar with him for his role as the serpentine dark wizard Voldemort in the Harry Potter film series.

Ben Wishaw

Where would Bond be without his trusted Q to provide him with all of the gadgets and gear that he needs to complete his missions?

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Wishaw’s new take on the famous quartermaster was introduced in Skyfall – a much younger incarnation who is less a mad scientist and more of a modern-day computing expert.

While the gadgets have been reined in since the Bond series’ campier days, the trailer for No Time to Die suggests that Q has been hard at work on 007’s new Aston Martin.

Wishaw most recently starred in another quintessentially British story with his role in Mary Poppins Returns.

When is the film out?

No Time to Die will arrive in UK cinemas on Friday 3 April 2020.

This article originally appeared on our sister site, The Scotsman.