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In No Time To Die, Daniel Craig proved that James Bond doesn’t need a youthful revamp. Craig’s tenure as the beloved British intelligence agent lasted for over 15 years and spanned five films, beginning with the much-lauded Casino Royale in 2006. His era redefined the character in a grounded, gritty way and offered a needed contrast to the borderline outrageous entries of Pierce Brosnan’s later films. Craig’s run of movies was connected by an arc that culminated in 2021’s No Time To Die, a delayed installment that gave his iteration of Bond a fitting sendoff and surprising but narratively satisfying death.
With Daniel Craig gone, James Bond 26 will have to recast and begin a new era for 007. This has led to waves of speculation and fan-casting for the continuation of Ian Fleming’s iconic character. Names like Idris Elba, Tom Hardy, and Henry Cavill have dominated the conversation, but due to reports that the next James Bond may be younger, these popular but older actors have seemingly been ruled out.
If No Time To Die showed anything, though, it’s that an older Bond is not held back by age but instead only becomes more gripping and engaging. Craig was in his 50s for No Time To Die and it was arguably his best performance, certainly his most emotional. The weight of his journey and experience as an aging spy who had loved and lost and loved again was central to what made his Bond so compelling to watch.
The age of every James Bond actor has varied, but on average it’s been around 38, which certainly isn’t “young” when considering a casting call sheet. Craig himself was that age when he first took on the role, and while filming No Time To Die he was in his early 50s. Age has always been an integral element of Bond’s character, providing a critical seasoning of charm, perspective, and confidence of experience that should not be so easily cast aside. In Casino Royale, Craig proved the character could be reinvented while still being older, and in No Time To Die he proved that the character works as well, if not better, while being older still. Youth isn’t a missing ingredient for Bond as it’s simply not needed.
With household names like Tom Holland tossed around for Bond 26, it’s easy to imagine the license to kill passing to a young set of hands. While it could be argued that this would make sense for Bond’s revival in terms of doing something different, variety shouldn’t be as important as getting the right actor for the role. Daniel Craig may have said goodbye to James Bond in No Time To Die, but that farewell should not extend to the character as he is known and loved.