James Bond is back, to save the world … and the cinema – Orange news

AFP, published on Tuesday, September 28, 2021 at 12:25 p.m.

The new James Bond, “Die Can Wait”, premieres in London on Tuesday, and this time 007 is on a mission not only to save the world but also cinemas, tested by the lockdowns.

This is the last time the Briton Daniel Craig, 53, slips into the tuxedo of the most famous agent in Her Majesty’s service – and the name of his successor remains a mystery. For this ultimate adventure, he was not spared.

Chases, explosions, shootings … The trailer suggests an intense episode, rich in stunts and gadgets, in the pure tradition of 007.

With a year and a half late due to the pandemic, this 2 hour 43 minute film – the longest James Bond – will be unveiled in world premiere at the Royal Albert Hall, before its release in British cinemas on Thursday, then October 6 in France.

On the red carpet, producers Michael G. Wilson, Barbara Broccoli and director Cary Joji Fukunaga (“Beasts of No Nation”, “True Detective”) will meet actors Daniel Craig, Rami Malek and Léa Seydoux as well as singer Billie Eilish who performs the film’s official song, also titled “No Time To Die”.

Alongside these stars, and Princes Charles and William, caregivers were invited to discover the film in the prestigious performance hall in tribute to their work during the pandemic.

Initially scheduled for March 2020, the release of this 25th episode of the adventures of the secret agent is eagerly awaited by fans but also by cinema operators looking to fill their theaters.

– What succession? –

The last part of the adventures of James Bond, “Specter”, released at the end of 2015, had brought in more than 880 million dollars of receipts in the world, according to the specialized press.

After this film, Daniel Craig had declared that he would rather “cut his veins” than play James Bond again. Before finally stacking up.

Who will take over? The mystery remains unsolved, but producer Barbara Broccoli felt that the character should continue to be interpreted by a man, a subject that divides.

“Women are so under-represented” in the cinema, laments Alana McGuill, a student in philosophy, met by AFP in the streets of London. According to her, “there must be more room for women and people of color in Hollywood.”

For Derek Thomson, on the other hand, “it can’t be a woman.” “It’s a role too emblematic, too masculine,” said the 62-year-old factor.

In response to criticism of the sexism of certain works in the franchise, actress and screenwriter Phoebe Waller-Bridge (“Fleabag”) has been called upon to improve the portrayal of women in “Die Can Wait”.

– “Injured animal” –

In this latest film from the Craig era, the character invented by writer Ian Fleming has quit his secret service activities and is enjoying a well-deserved rest in Jamaica.

A tranquility interrupted when his old friend of the CIA, Felix Leiter, comes to ask him for help to save a scientist who has just been kidnapped.

Back at work, the famous secret agent must work with a new and “disarming” colleague, played by Briton Lashana Lynch.

In front of them, a mysterious enemy equipped with high-tech weapons, played by the American Rami Malek, Oscar for best actor in 2019 for his interpretation of singer Freddie Mercury.

The conquest of Bond since “Specter”, the psychologist Madeleine Swann, interpreted by the French Léa Seydoux, also seems to have things to hide.

In this opus, shot in particular in Italy and Jamaica, 007 “is a kind of wounded animal in struggle with its past as a secret agent”, described the director Cary Joji Fukunaga last year in a video from the distributor Universal Pictures .

According to the director, it is a “race” for James Bond, “not only to save the world but those he loves”.