No Time To Diewas the final Bond movie of Daniel Craig’s tenure, and as it turned out, the finalJames Bondfilm to be produced by the Broccoli familybefore the franchise was sold to Amazon. It also - spoilers - unequivocally killed off James Bond for the first time, setting upa hard reboot for the character. However, this fate is hinted at in his very first scene.
There were rumours before No Time To Die came out that Bond might die, despite the fact the series had never been so brave before. Daniel Craig had confirmed it was his last hurrah - and really meant it this time - while talks of a reboot with a much younger character were already underway.
Lashana Lynch being cast as ‘007’ added fuel to the fire, though this turned out to be simply another agent with the callsign after Bond retired. Lynch was never set up as Bond’s successor, and even symbolically requests that the callsign return to Bond as they begin what turns out to be Bond’s final mission. However, hardcore Bond fans might have seen it coming not from rumours, but from the script itself.
“We Have All The Time In The World” Is The Most Important James Bond Line In History
In Bond’s first scene in No Time To Die, he and Madeleine Swann (his love interest returning from the previous movie,Spectre) are driving through the Riviera. As far as the plot goes, this sets up a scene where Bond splits from Swann and closes himself off from the world, believing he has been betrayed. This turns out to be a false assumption, with Swann having been set up. However, this scene is not just there to convey that Bond and Swann are in love.
If Bond’s death in No Time To Die is the most tragic moment in Bond history, then the finale of On Her Majesty’s Secret Service is surely second. The movie ends with Bond (played by George Lazenby in his only appearance) getting married to Contessa Teresa ‘Tracy’ di Vicenzo (played by Diana Rigg), who remains the only woman he has ever married on screen.
As they drive away, with Bond ready to settle down, he tells her they have “all the time in the world” to spend together. Suddenly, a car races past and shoots at them, keen on revenge for Bond foiling their plans earlier in the movie.
Bond himself escapes unharmed, but Tracy is shot and killed. As he cradles her in his arms, a police officer inspects the vehicle and Bond tells him, through tears, that his wife will be okay, though he knows she will not. He tells the police officer not to worry, because they have “all the time in the world”, and the credits roll.
Likewise, in the first scene of No Time To Die, Swann playfully asks Bond to speed up as he does in his famous car chases, but he continues to cruise slowly, telling her they have “all the time in the world”. This prophetic line recalls Bond’s wife’s death, and in No Time To Die, confirms a role reversal. The lovers will still be torn apart by violence in the line of duty, but this time it will not be the Bond girl who dies, but Bond himself.
It’s the sort of line that only matters if you know the history behind it, so offers a nod to Bond fans as to what might come while leaving the scene spoiler free for more casual viewers.
