50 Fun Facts About No Time to Die

No Time to Die is which numbered entry in the Eon James Bond film series?

It went into production under the working title Bond 25, and the real title was not announced until August 2019.

How many films did Daniel Craig star in as James Bond, No Time to Die being the last?

He had joked after Spectre that he would rather slash his wrists than play Bond again, then signed on for one more.

Who directed No Time to Die?

He was the first American ever to direct an Eon Bond film, and the first director to get a writing credit on one.

Which director left Bond 25 in August 2018 over creative differences?

He had pitched a story set in present-day Russia exploring Bond's origins, with John Hodge writing; the producers lost confidence in the idea.

Who plays the villain Lyutsifer Safin?

Fresh from his Bohemian Rhapsody Oscar, he said Safin sees himself as a hero in much the same way Bond does.

What is the name of the DNA-targeting nanobot bioweapon at the centre of the plot?

It was developed in secret under M, which is why he refuses to explain it to Bond when they first speak by phone.

What is the name of the new agent who has been assigned the 007 number during Bond's retirement?

Lashana Lynch said she wanted to give the slick franchise a human spin, playing an agent who deals with anxiety and is figuring it out on her toes.

Which actress plays Paloma, the CIA agent who helps Bond in Cuba?

It was her second film with Craig after Knives Out; the character was originally a simple contact and was expanded during Phoebe Waller-Bridge's polish.

Which country is Bond living in, retired, when Felix Leiter comes to recruit him?

The cast announcement was staged at Ian Fleming's Goldeneye estate on the island, where Fleming wrote the Bond novels.

Which character turns out to be a traitor, shooting Felix Leiter and sinking the trawler?

Billy Magnussen's State Department agent gives himself away when Obruchev looks to him during Bond's questioning.

Blofeld watches the SPECTRE party in Cuba from prison. Which prison is he held in?

He observes it through a bionic eye worn by the mercenary Primo, and the nanobot mist he unleashes ends up killing his own SPECTRE members instead of Bond.

Madeleine's daughter, whom Bond eventually learns is his, is called what?

The idea of Bond having a child came from John Hodge's abandoned draft and survived into the final script.

Whose grave does Bond visit in southern Italy in the opening act, only for it to explode?

Blofeld later reveals he planned the ambush at the tomb specifically to make Bond believe Madeleine had betrayed him.

What ultimately kills Bond at the end of the film?

He opens the facility's blast doors so the missiles M authorised can penetrate it, knowing he can never touch Madeleine or Mathilde again.

Which unusual distinction does No Time to Die hold among Eon-produced Bond films?

Craig first proposed killing Bond in 2006 after the Casino Royale premiere, and Barbara Broccoli agreed on the spot.

Which screenwriter did Daniel Craig ask to polish the script in April 2019?

She became only the second woman credited on a Bond screenplay, after Johanna Harwood on Dr. No and From Russia with Love.

Who performed the film's title song?

She was 18 when she recorded it, making her the youngest artist ever to sing a Bond theme; her brother Finneas co-wrote and produced it.

Which composer replaced Dan Romer on the score in early 2020?

It was the first time in the series' history that a composer had been swapped out during post-production; Johnny Marr of the Smiths played guitar on the score.

Which earlier Bond film's love theme, 'We Have All the Time in the World', recurs in the score?

The Louis Armstrong recording appears three times in the score, echoing the earlier film's tragic ending for a Bond who has just lost everything.

In which southern Italian city was the Aston Martin DB5 chase sequence filmed?

The second unit even shot a doughnut in the Piazza San Giovanni Battista; nearby Sapri stands in for the fictional 'Civita Lucana'.

Which Norwegian route was used for the driving sequence featuring an Aston Martin V8 Vantage?

The V8 Vantage was Timothy Dalton's car in The Living Daylights; the DB5, DBS Superleggera and Valhalla also appear.

Which archipelago provided the location for Safin's island lair exteriors, filmed in September 2019?

The North Atlantic islands sit between Iceland and Norway; the interiors were built at Pinewood.

Which body part did Daniel Craig hurt filming in the Caribbean in 2019, needing surgery?

It required minor surgery and forced the Havana chase to be pushed back to the very end of the shoot at Pinewood.

What was damaged at Pinewood Studios in June 2019 by a controlled explosion that went wrong?

One crew member suffered minor injuries; the stage is named after the series and has been rebuilt after fires before.

No Time to Die was the first Bond film to shoot some sequences with which kind of camera?

Fukunaga and cinematographer Linus Sandgren pushed for shooting on film rather than digital to enhance the look.

Which Scottish national park hosted filming in July 2019?

Scenes were shot around Aviemore and at the Ardverikie House Estate on Loch Laggan just outside the park.

The woodland chase in which Bond fights Ash's men was filmed in which location?

The exact spot was Buttersteep Forest; the Norway house exteriors were shot near Nittedal, but the woodland fight was done back in England.

Safin's mask was redesigned during development to be based on which Japanese theatrical tradition?

The original concept was a mask based on Siberian bear-hunting armour, which Fukunaga felt dominated the costume.

Which director declined to make Bond 25 in December 2017 because of a commitment to Dune?

He was courted alongside Yann Demange and David Mackenzie; in June 2025 he was finally announced as director of the 26th Bond film.

How much was Daniel Craig eventually paid for No Time to Die?

Reports in 2016 claimed MGM had offered him $100 million for two more films, which he denied.

Which actor became the first to play Felix Leiter three times?

He was surprised not to be asked back for Skyfall and Spectre, and felt Felix's return carried more weight because of the absence.

Léa Seydoux's Madeleine Swann set what precedent for the series?

She reprised the role from Spectre, where she was introduced as the daughter of Mr. White.

Where was the film's world premiere held on 28 September 2021?

It also screened at the Zurich Film Festival the same day, the first Bond film ever in a festival's official selection.

What claim is made about the March 2020 decision to postpone the release?

Two Bond fan sites had published an open letter asking the producers to delay it before the 4 March 2020 announcement.

Which chain shut its cinemas in October 2020, calling the film's second delay 'the last straw'?

The world's second-largest chain did not reopen until May 2021.

Approximately how much did No Time to Die gross worldwide?

It was the fourth-highest-grossing film of 2021, though production and promotion costs of at least $350 million meant it needed around $800 million just to break even.

What is the film's runtime, which Deadline blamed for limiting the number of US showtimes?

At 2 hours 43 minutes it is the longest Bond film; Empire's critic argued the middle third did not justify the length.

Which Academy Award did No Time to Die win?

It became the third Bond film to win the song Oscar, after Skyfall and Spectre.

How was No Time to Die's title song eligible to win a Grammy in March 2021, six months before the film?

It took Best Song Written for Visual Media at the 63rd Grammys, six months before the film reached cinemas.

Which studio was NOT involved with No Time to Die, the only Craig Bond film without them, after its MGM deal expired?

Sony's contract to co-produce ended with Spectre; Universal picked up international distribution and home media.

Which company acquired MGM on 17 March 2022, making No Time to Die the last Bond film before the takeover?

In February 2025 the same company took full creative control of the franchise from Eon, ending the Broccoli family's stewardship.

A leaked casting sheet from the original director's era described the male lead villain as what?

Boyle's version was to be set in present-day Russia; Polish actor Tomasz Kot was reportedly cast before the whole plan was scrapped.

Which real Royal Navy destroyer appears in the film?

The Ministry of Defence also allowed filming with an RAF C-17 at Brize Norton and the Household Cavalry, and confirmed no weapons were fired.

Which Bond novelist said he was disappointed the film killed Bond, telling The Times 'Bond is forever'?

He admitted he had once considered killing Bond in his own continuation novels and decided it would be impertinent to kill a character he had not created.

Which French singer's 'Dans la ville endormie' is heard briefly in the opening scene?

The Egyptian-born star's song plays in Madeleine's childhood home in Norway just before Safin arrives.

What did the film's producer Barbara Broccoli say the title was meant to do?

She said that is often what Fleming's titles do; the title was only announced on 20 August 2019, four months after filming began.

Which reveal about Q is made in No Time to Die?

Ben Whishaw said this was the third and last film he was contracted for and that he thought he was done with the role.

Eon's subsidiary B25 Limited reported the film's total production cost as roughly how much?

Press estimates put the budget between $250 million and $301 million, making it one of the most expensive Bond films ever made.

What fictional name is the Italian town of Sapri given on screen in No Time to Die?

Sapri is on the Gulf of Policastro; other Italian locations were Matera, Maratea and Gravina in Puglia.

Veteran British civil servant Hayden Phillips makes a cameo as which character?

Brigitte Millar also reprises her Spectre role as SPECTRE chief Dr. Vogel, and comedian Hugh Dennis appears as an MI6 lab scientist.