James Bond: Daniel Craig’s surprising anecdote on the shocking ending of Dying Can Wait

Please note that this article contains spoilers for Dying Can Wait.

Never has a James Bond film ended like Dying Can Wait: with the hero’s death. A tragic end, which was actually planned for a long time (or almost). During a conversation with the historical producers of the saga, Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson, for Variety, Daniel Craig has indeed revealed an astonishing anecdote.

“I’m going to tell a story here whether everyone remembers it or not or agrees with it. But that was 2006. Barbara and I were sitting in the back of a car leaving the Casino Royale premiere in Berlin. Everything was going fine. People liked the movie. And it looked like I was gonna get the chance to make at least one more movie”, He began. And to continue:

I said to Barbara, “How many of these films do I have to make?” Because I don’t really look at contracts or that sort of thing. She said, “Four,” and I was, “Oh, okay. Can I kill him in the last one?” And she didn’t take a break. She said yes.”

“So I made a deal with her at the time and I said, ‘This is how I would like it to be.’ This is the only way I saw for me to end it all and make it my tenure, someone else could come in and take over”, Explained the actor.

A difficult decision

But a “yes” to a car in 2006 could still have been missed 15 years later. Moreover, it almost was the case since Daniel Craig added that afterwards: “It was ‘no’ for a long time. Do not worry. I thought it was forgotten, said like that. I haven’t put it back on the mat before [cet épisode].”

The idea therefore gained ground in the minds of producers, who eventually accepted. “I think this is the proper way to handle a situation where a person is risking their life all the time. The odds will catch up with you eventually.

I think Fleming knew that and I guess we ended up realizing it too. It is also very important, on an emotional level, to understand the risks that people like Bond take.”, Declared Michael G. Wilson.

So it only remained for the director chosen to direct this last adventure of Daniel Craig in this iconic role, Cary Fukunaga, to find the way in which James Bond was going to perish… And it was ultimately by sacrificing himself to save the world after a moving farewell to his family that 007 lost his life.

The character will return to the big screen in the future, however. But with what face?