It’s the end of an era.
No Time to Die, the hotly-anticipated 25th James Bond film and Daniel Craig’s last stint as the famous fictional spy, finally had its world premiere at London’s Royal Albert Hall yesterday. Craig is officially the longest-serving Bond, having filled 007’s shoes for 15 years. (Roger Moore is the second-longest serving, having starred in 7 films across 12 years).
Craig, perhaps more so than any other Bond before him, really transformed the role; made it his own. Craig’s Bond wasn’t a schmoozy womaniser or bon vivant: he was a tortured, brooding, intense killer, with an icy-cold wit and no time for nonsense. The void he’ll leave will be immense and it’s no doubt a highly emotional time for the 53-year-old English actor.
But you know what they say – go out with a bang. And that’s exactly what Craig’s done, in a sartorial sense, for No Time to Die’s premiere. Craig stepped out on the red carpet wearing a red tuxedo to match: a vermillion, velvet jacket paired with a black bow tie, trousers and patent leather Oxfords. Talk about A View to a Kill…
Bond’s nothing without his watch, however. Q is but a fictional quartermaster, so Craig instead was outfitted by OMEGA, with a very classy gold Seamaster Aqua Terra seen perched on his wrist for the star-studded occasion.
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Speaking of stars… Craig was also very much On Her Majesty’s Secret Service for the evening, too, with members of the Royal Family in attendance: the actor was spotted chatting with Charles, Prince of Wales and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall; as well as with Prince William, Duke of Cambridge and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge ahead of the screening.
Other celebrities in attendance included co-stars Rami Malek, Léa Seydoux and Ana de Armas; British tennis star and US Open champ Emma Raducanu; rappers Dave, Skepta and Stormzy; and Aston Martin Formula One driver Lance Stroll.
While we’re keen to see the movie for ourselves, we’re also keen to find out who will be the next James Bond. Craig’s advice for the next Bond? Simple: “don’t be sh*t”, he joked in a recent BBC Radio 1 interview. We’ll raise a martini to that…