The Explosive Ending Of No Time To Die Came From The Mind Of Phoebe Waller-Bridge
When it comes to ever-enduring movie franchises, it's difficult not to talk about the "James Bond" series. Based on the novels by Ian Fleming, the first film focusing on the eponymous character was "Dr. No," which was released all the way back in 1962. Since then, the movies have become theatrical staples, and they have grossed well over $7.8 billion at the worldwide box office (per The Numbers). Much like "Doctor Who," the "James Bond" franchise has seen many actors step into the main role, with the latest being Daniel Craig.
Craig wrapped up his time as the character in 2021 with "No Time to Die," after playing the character across five films, which began with "Casino Royale" in 2006. "No Time to Die" marked a big turning point for the series, however, doing something no other "James Bond" film had done before when it proceeded to kill off Craig's version of the character at the end of the movie. This gambit worked in its favor, as the film was well-received by critics, garnering an 83% on Rotten Tomatoes. However, when it comes to the mastermind behind that explosive, franchise-shifting ending, fans can thank screenwriter Phoebe Waller-Bridge, who was a late addition to the creative team behind "No Time to Die."
Craig says that Phoebe Waller-Bridge came up with the Bond death scene
During a recent interview with The Times, Daniel Craig dove into his time as James Bond, and exactly what led to his iconic character's death in "No Time to Die." Craig has previously gone on record saying that he had been pushing for his iteration of Bond to die since the release of "Casino Royale," which was a wish he eventually got to see realized. However, when it came to the construction of that ending, Craig laid the credit at the feet of Phoebe Waller-Bridge. Waller-Bridge was brought in late into development to touch up the script, according to The Guardian, but it turns out she had a lot of involvement in ensuring that Bond's death made sense.
"Real tragedy is when you have absolutely no choice," Craig said about the ending and what he wanted from it with Waller-Bridge's contributions. "We had to find a way to make his death no choice. It was the happiest Bond had ever been because he'd found exactly what he was looking for. Like everyone on Earth, he was just looking for love."
Obviously, Craig's reasoning here is sound. Killing off a character like Bond, who has been shown to be near-invincible in pretty much all of his previous entries, is not such an easy feat. It's clear that he wanted to bring in the acclaimed "Fleabag" creator and star to make sure that they pulled it off while staying true to the character himself. And judging by the mostly warm reception to "No Time to Die," it appears as if they did just that.