{"id":5313,"date":"2021-10-05T12:52:01","date_gmt":"2021-10-05T10:52:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.radiotimes.com\/?p=1377971"},"modified":"2021-10-05T13:15:35","modified_gmt":"2021-10-05T11:15:35","slug":"no-time-to-die-might-present-strongest-evidence-yet-for-huge-james-bond-fan-theory","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/rss_feed\/no-time-to-die-might-present-strongest-evidence-yet-for-huge-james-bond-fan-theory\/","title":{"rendered":"No Time to Die might present strongest evidence yet for huge James Bond fan theory"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>

By Tom Chapman\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Tuesday, 05 October 2021 at 12:00 am<\/p>

\n\n

Consider us shaken and stirred, as Daniel Craig hangs up the keys to the Aston Martin and officially parts ways with playing James Bond. We\u2019ve had five movies total featuring Craig\u2019s take on secret agent 007 and while<\/span> his latest outing No Time To Die<\/span><\/a> puts a definitive \u201cdeclassified\u201d stamp on the series, director Cary Fukunaga may have (inadvertently?) confirmed a major theory.<\/span><\/p>\n

Warning: major spoilers for No Time To Die spoilers ahead<\/b><\/p>\n

If you\u2019ve made it this far, you\u2019ll probably know Fukunaga did what Danny Boyle apparently wanted to do when he was attached to direct. In the ultimate sacrifice, Bond destroyed Safin\u2019s poison island as his replacement Nomi (Lashana Lynch), wife Madeleine (Lea Seydoux), and daughter escaped. It\u2019s all very touching, and with no The Dark Knight Rises-esque twist, it really<\/span> looks like James Bond is dead<\/span><\/a>. <\/span><\/p>\n

The question remains though, was Craig\u2019s 00 really the first James Bond?<\/span><\/p>\n

What is the Bond code name theory?<\/b><\/h2>\n

For this one, we need to revisit the age-old theory that \u201cJames Bond\u201d is merely a name adopted by many different men. This would mean Sean Connery, Roger Moore, George Lazenby, Timothy Dalton, and Pierce Brosnan were all just the latest in a long line of James Bonds. (1969\u2019s On Her Majesty\u2019s Secret Service even saw Lazenby deliver the line, \u201cThis never happened to the other fella\u201d \u2013 a mere wink to the audience, or confirmation of the code name theory?)<\/span><\/p>\n

There are even rumours that 2012\u2019s Skyfall briefly planned to confirm the theory as fact. In the early stages, there were talks about Connery playing the role of groundskeeper Kincaide, eventually portrayed by Albert Finney. Reports vary, but some claim early drafts included Connery coming out of retirement to reprise his role as Bond \u2013 rattling around Skyfall Lodge as a sort of locale for abandoned Bonds. Others say Die Another Day\u2019s Lee Tamahori wanted Connery to cameo as the original James Bond in that film.<\/span><\/p>

If you\u2019re confused about how this all works, No Time To Die featured some major intel via a scene set in the hallowed halls of MI6.<\/span><\/p>\n

During one sequence, Ralph Fiennes\u2019 M looks upon the portrait of his predecessor \u2013 played by Judi Dench. Like Bond himself, the previous M put her life on the line and met her maker in Sam Mendes\u2019 acclaimed Skyfall. Fiennes\u2019 conveniently named Mallory stepped up to the plate as new \u201cM\u201d. Where the multiple Bond theory picks up steam is the fact we also see a painting of Bernard Lee\u2019s M in No Time To Die.<\/span><\/p>\n

Long before Dench was busting balls in GoldenEye, Lee was known as the OG M, who had a Bond legacy that spanned 1962\u2019s Dr. No to 1979\u2019s Moonraker. Given that prior to Casino Royale the Bond films maintained a (loose) continuity, c<\/span>onfirmation that Lee\u2019s M also came before Dench\u2019s in the Craig movies heavily implies that Craig\u2019s James Bond isn\u2019t the first \u2013 that Casino Royale might not have been the franchise reboot we all thought it was, with Dench actually playing the same M as in the Brosnan films.<\/span><\/p>\n

\""Daniel\"<\/div>
Danjaq, LLC, United Artists Corporation, Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc<\/i> <\/span>\n<\/div>\n

Importantly, No Time To Die also ends with those classic words of \u201cJames Bond will return\u201d. It\u2019s a classic trope but might seem odd considering the character\u2019s swansong just minutes prior. Of course, EON might just be promising us that a hard reset and a recast are on the way\u2026 or is this another hint that another man will take up the \u201cJames Bond\u201d mantle following the demise of Craig\u2019s version?<\/span><\/p>\n

Is James Bond really just a name?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

There are however some rather large holes in the logic of the code-name theory and the idea that \u201cJames Bond\u201d is a name simply assigned to any sharp-shooting spy. There was a complicated backstory between Bond and Ernst Stavro Blofeld in 2015\u2019s Spectre, for example. For the theory to work, names like \u201cBlofeld\u201d, \u201cMoneypenny\u201d, and \u201cFelix Leiter\u201d would also have to be assigned to multiple people. It just doesn\u2019t stack up.<\/span><\/p>\n

\""NO\"<\/div>
MGM<\/i> <\/span>\n<\/div>\n

Again in Skyfall, Craig\u2019s 007 visited the family home and found the gravestones of his parents that included the surname Bond \u2013 seemingly debunking the theory forever. Some have argued that the gravestones are fake and fake memories have been implanted in the heads of our Bonds, but isn\u2019t that all some fanciful Matrix-esque trickery just to keep a wild theory alive.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Ultimately, the Bond continuity is a hot mess that the various directors and actors probably never thought about in the franchise\u2019s 59-year history. Whatever is coming next, fans are warned not to expect any news on who the<\/span> next Bond is until at least 2022<\/span><\/a>. Bond 26<\/a> is a long way off, but the multiple Bond theory is sure to rear its head again. As the franchise goes on, so does this madcap theory. Look out for Daniel Craig shuffling around a home for retired agents in the inevitable Bond 50\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n

No Time To Die is out now in UK cinemas \u2013 visit our Movies<\/a>\u00a0hub for more news and features, or find something to watch with our\u00a0TV Guide<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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By Tom Chapman Published: Tuesday, 05 October 2021 at 12:00 am Consider us shaken and stirred, as Daniel Craig hangs up the keys to the Aston Martin and officially parts ways with playing James Bond. We\u2019ve had five movies total featuring Craig\u2019s take on secret agent 007 and while his latest outing No Time To […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":5314,"template":"","categories":[6],"acf":[],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2021\/10\/no-time-to-die-might-present-strongest-evidence-yet-for-huge-james-bond-fan-theory.jpg",895,596,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2021\/10\/no-time-to-die-might-present-strongest-evidence-yet-for-huge-james-bond-fan-theory-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2021\/10\/no-time-to-die-might-present-strongest-evidence-yet-for-huge-james-bond-fan-theory-300x200.jpg",300,200,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2021\/10\/no-time-to-die-might-present-strongest-evidence-yet-for-huge-james-bond-fan-theory-768x511.jpg",768,511,true],"large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2021\/10\/no-time-to-die-might-present-strongest-evidence-yet-for-huge-james-bond-fan-theory.jpg",800,533,false],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2021\/10\/no-time-to-die-might-present-strongest-evidence-yet-for-huge-james-bond-fan-theory.jpg",895,596,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2021\/10\/no-time-to-die-might-present-strongest-evidence-yet-for-huge-james-bond-fan-theory.jpg",895,596,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"By Tom Chapman Published: Tuesday, 05 October 2021 at 12:00 am Consider us shaken and stirred, as Daniel Craig hangs up the keys to the Aston Martin and officially parts ways with playing James Bond. We\u2019ve had five movies total featuring Craig\u2019s take on secret agent 007 and while his latest outing No Time To…","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed\/5313"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/rss_feed"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5314"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5313"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5313"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}