Why Bond 26 Can’t Repeat No Time To Die’s Best Twist

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While No Time to Die was a refreshing break from the franchise formula for James Bond, there is an unfortunately unavoidable reason that Bond 26can’t repeat the movie's most unexpected trick. From the movie’s shocking conclusion to its secretly genius Blofeld cameo, No Time to Die was a deservedly acclaimed swan song for Daniel Craig’s iteration of James Bond. Effectively marrying the grounded, dark edge of Craig’s earlier movies with the campy humor and over-the-top action of classic 007 adventures,No Time to Die was a much-needed shot in the arm that revitalized the long-running spy cinema franchise.

However, Bond 26 can’t simply replicate everything that worked about Craig’s final James Bond adventure. No Time to Die’s mature, brooding tone would be too dark for a new Bond’s debut, while its lengthy runtime could be too much for a new version of 007’s punchier first movie. Most importantly, the perspective shift that made No Time to Die feel so fresh would not be welcome in Bond 26.

Related: No Time To Die Proves Amazon's Mr & Mrs. Smith Could Have Been Great

Much like Bond 26 can’t be another 007 origin story, the movie also can’t ignore Bond in the way No Time to Die proved surprisingly adept at. What was so unusual and appealing about No Time to Die’s setup was how much the movie was centered not around Bond himself but rather Safin and Madeleine Swann. Everything from the movie's prologue to Bond’s eventual self-sacrifice revolved around Madeleine's history with the villain. That wouldn’t work with a new Bond since viewers need to acclimate to the new 007 and, as such, can’t get invested in his love interest’s complicated backstory.

By the time No Time to Die arrived, fans of the character had spent four movies