Footage emerged last week of James Bond star Daniel Craig giving an emotional farewell speech at at a party for members of the cast and crew of the upcoming Bond film, No Time to Die. And though rumors that this would be the actor’s final appearance as Bond have been widely reported, Craig's tender, tipsy, remarks definitely fuel speculation over the actor’s future with the iconic role.
"I just want to say, and I am really quite drunk now so I won’t go on for long, this has been one of the best, most wonderful experiences I have ever had,” Craig told his Bond colleagues at a party in Italy last week, “You've all done the most amazing job. I could not be more proud to work with every single one of you on this production. I would like to thank you for this evening, I want to thank you for this—Barbara, for putting it on. Thank goodness we did this tonight."
It's unclear just what occasion the celebration was marking, though it could have been the end of filming or the completion of the production’s work in Italy. The “Barbara” Craig shouted out is Bond producer Barbara Broccoli.
No Time to Die will be Craig's fifth appearance as Bond, and he hasn’t said much lately about when or how he might end his run in the role. In 2015, when asked by Time Out if he would appear in another film after Spectre, the star replied that he’d rather “slash his wrists,” and that if he "did another Bond movie, it would only be for the money.” (When asked which actor should follow in his Bond footsteps, he replied, “Look, I don’t give a fuck.”)
He did, of course, eventually return to the role. After the announcement that he’d be playing 007 once again in No Time To Die—back when the film was just known as Bond 25—Craig said, "I always wanted to [return], I needed a break. I just want to go out on a high note, and I can't wait."
But just when it was seeming settled that No Time to Die would mark Craig’s Bond farewell, Miss Moneypenny actress Naomie Harris hinted this spring that the actor might return. "Everyone is assuming this is his last film," she told The Independent. "Daniel has never said that, so we don’t know. It’s still open – who knows?"
