We knew that production on No Time To Die, Daniel Craig’s final run as 007, wasn’t exactly smooth, between the departure of then-director Danny Boyle from the project, and Craig busting his ankle on set.
Now, thanks to Entertainment Weekly’s new cover story about No Time To Die, we finally have some behind-the-scenes info on the once-troubled production. According to Bond producer Barbara Broccoli, the team "considered shutting down the production entirely" when Boyle left due to “creative differences.”
“It was not about anything specific,” Broccoli said, later hiring True Detective creator Cary Fukanaga to direct the film. “The movie he wanted to make [and] the movie we wanted to make were not the same movie.”
Craig added: “I’m a huge fan of Danny and I’d love to work with him. It didn’t work out. It happens all the time in movies. It’s just, in a Bond movie, it becomes this huge event that gets blown up.”
Speaking of the long-tenured 007 actor, Craig revealed why he almost didn’t come back for No Time To Die – and it turns out it was a health concern, considering that after injuring his knee after filming Spectre, he had to undergo arthroscopic surgery.
“I finished that movie with a broken leg,” Craig said. “I had to question myself: was I physically capable of doing [another one] or did I want to do another one? Because that phone call to your wife saying ‘I’ve broken my leg’ is not pleasant.”
Craig unfortunately “exploded” his ankle anyway while filming No Time To Die. But hey – like the steely special agent, he’s a tough dude. He powered through it.
“Unfortunately, I’ve been in the same situation before and I know the feeling of a rupturing tendon. I was just like, ‘Oh, fuck,’ ” he said. Lucky for us, he soldiered on.
No Time to Die has a UK release date of 8 April, 2020, and hits US cinemas on 10 April
