News Analysis India

Tag: Daniel Craig

  • Daniel Craig chokes up biding emotional farewell to James Bond

    By ANI

    WASHINGTON: Hollywood star Daniel Craig got emotional after filming his final scene as James Bond in the upcoming 007 adventure titled ‘No Time to Die’, which will be his final outing as the super spy.

    According to Variety, ‘Being James Bond’, the free Apple TV documentary reflected on Craig’s career as the iconic character, from ‘Casino Royale’, ‘Quantum of Solace’, ‘Skyfall’, ‘Spectre’ to his last-ever scene in ‘No Time to Die’, which has been delayed multiple times.

    The documentary showed that Craig’s last scene while filming the final movie ended with Bond running down an alley out of frame, a fitting final shot to a 15-year career as 007.

    The actor gave a touching speech after wrapping a late-night shoot, and the cast and crew all teared up and shared hugs with each other.

    “A lot of people here worked on five pictures with me, and I know there’s a lot of things said about what I think about these films…But I’ve loved every single second of these movies, and especially this one because I’ve got up every morning and I’ve had the chance to work with you guys. And that has been one of the greatest honours of my life,” he said while holding back tears.

    The world premiere for ‘No Time to Die’ will take place on September 28 at London’s Royal Albert Hall. It will release in the U.K. and Ireland from September 30 through Universal Pictures International, and in the U.S on October 8 through MGM via its United Artists Releasing banner.

    As per variety, in the movie, Bond has left active service and is enjoying a tranquil life in Jamaica. His peace is short-lived when his old friend Felix Leiter from the CIA turns up asking for help. The mission to rescue a kidnapped scientist turns out to be far more treacherous than expected, leading Bond onto the trail of a mysterious villain armed with dangerous new technology.

    Directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga, the film stars Craig, Rami Malek, Lea Seydoux, Lashana Lynch, Ben Whishaw, Naomie Harris, Jeffrey Wright, Christoph Waltz and Ralph Fiennes. The producers are Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli.

  • Rian Johnson says ‘Knives Out 2’ has wrapped filming

    By PTI

    LOS ANGELES: “Knives Out 2”, the much-anticipated sequel of the hit 2019 murder mystery, has concluded production, filmmaker Rian Johnson has announced.

    Johnson, who also serves as the writer on the follow-up, shared the news in a post on Twitter on Monday, September 13, 2021.

    The filmmaker also urged his followers to watch Leos Caraz’s musical drama movie “Annette”, starring Adam Driver and Marion Cotillard in the lead.

    We just wrapped production on the next Benoit Blanc mystery and also I finally watched Annette and holy shit it’s amazing. Sending so much love and gratitude to our INCREDIBLE crew and cast and Leos Carax!
    — Rian Johnson (@rianjohnson) September 13, 2021
    “We just wrapped production on the next Benoit Blanc mystery and also I finally watched ‘Annette’ and holy shit it’s amazing. Sending so much love and gratitude to our INCREDIBLE crew and cast and Leos Carax,” he tweeted.

    The sequel will see Daniel Craig reprise his role of the master sleuth Benoit Blanc from the original film.

    Ethan Hawke, Dave Bautista, Edward Norton, Janelle Monae, Kathryn Hahn, Leslie Odom Jr, Kate Hudson, Madelyn Cline and Jessica Henwick are the new cast members.

    “Knives Out 2” is produced by Johnson along with Ram Bergman under their T-Street banner.

    The original “Knives Out”, which was made on a humble budget of USD 40 million, grossed USD 311.5 million at the global box office when it released in 2019.

    The sequel was announced in February 2020 and Netflix bought the rights to two sequels for more than USD 450 million in March this year.

    While the streamer has premiered some of its prominent titles as limited theatrical releases, it is currently uncertain how the release of the ‘Knives Out’ sequels will be planned.

    The first “Knives Out” movie followed a family gathering gone horribly awry, after the family patriarch’s (Christopher Plummer) death leads Blanc (Craig) to investigate.

    The whodunnit also features Chris Evans, Ana de Armas, Jamie Lee Curtis, Michael Shannon, Don Johnson, Toni Collette, Lakeith Stanfield, Katherine Langford, and Jaeden Martell.

  • James Bond film ‘No Time To Die’ to release in India on September 30

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: The long wait for the next James Bond film is over for the franchise fans as “No Time to Die”, which will see Daniel Craig as 007 one last time, is set to release across theatres in India on September 30, Universal Pictures announced Wednesday.

    The official handle of the @007 Twitter account posted the final international trailer of the movie and announced the release date.

    “No Time To Die”, directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga also stars several popular artists including Rami Malek as the villain Lucifer Safin, Léa Seydoux as Bond’s love interest – Dr. Madeleine Swann (from Spectre), Lashana Lynch as the new secret agent Nomi who takes over 007 after Bond retires, Ben Whishaw as the MI6 quartermaster Q and, Ralph Fiennes as MI6 chief M.

    The final trailer portrays the cast in intense action sequences with the message- – ‘Wait Is Over’.

    The wait is over. The final international trailer for #NoTimeToDie. In cinemas from September 30. pic.twitter.com/ld26viOcD6
    — James Bond (@007) August 31, 2021
    “No Time To Die” will feature James Bond as he leaves active service.

    His peace is short-lived when Felix Leiter, an old friend from the CIA, turns up asking for help, leading Bond onto the trail of a mysterious villain armed with dangerous new technology.

    “No Time to Die” will release in English, Hindi, Kannada, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Punjabi, Gujarati, Bhojpuri and Bengali later this month.

    The film franchise, one of the longest running in the cinema history, has a huge fan base in India.

    The first James Bond movie “Dr No”, starring Sean Connery as the fictional British spy who prefers his martinis ‘shaken, not stirred’, released in 1962.

    “No Time to Die” is the 25th James Bond movie, which comes after a gap of six years.

    The last 007 movie in the franchise was 2015’s “Spectre”.

  • Jessica Henwick joins Daniel Craig in ‘Knives Out 2’

    By ANI
    WASHINGTON: Netflix’s upcoming ‘Knives Out’ sequel has added actor Jessica Henwick to the already packed star cast of the film.

    As per Deadline, the actor has joined the first sequel to ‘Knives Out’, teaming up with a star-studded list of previously announced cast members including Kate Hudson, Kathryn Hahn, Dave Bautista, Janelle Monae, Leslie Odom Jr. and Edward Norton.

    Actor Daniel Craig, who essayed the role of master sleuth Benoit Blanc in the hit 2019 whodunnit, will reprise the role in the sequel.

    The upcoming second installment will be written and directed by Rian Johnson. He is also set to produce with Ram Bergman under their T-Street banner. Plot details are being kept under wraps but the follow-up will be another star-studded murder mystery anchored by Craig’s character Blanc.

    ‘Knives Out’ was released via Lionsgate in 2019, earning a total of USD 311.4 million at the box office on a USD 40 million budget. Johnson, who earned a 2020 Oscar nomination for the ‘Knives Out’ screenplay, told The Hollywood Reporter that he began working on the script shortly after the first film was released.

    In a massive USD 469 million deal, Netflix recently won the rights for two sequels and a readymade franchise. The only contingencies of the deal were that Craig must star in both the sequels and that each must have at least the budget of the 2019 movie.

    The original ‘Knives Out’ starred Craig, Chris Evans, Jamie Lee Curtis, Ana de Armas, Christopher Plummer, Michael Shannon, and Toni Collette, among many others. It is currently unclear whether or not any of the original film’s cast members will join Craig for the new murder mystery, which is planning to start production in Greece this summer.

    The first film was born out of Johnson’s love for Agatha Christie novels, and he set out to write his own whodunnit focussing on the demise of crime novelist Harlan Thrombey (Plummer), which sets off a fight for his estate among his children and grandchildren.

    Among the dysfunctions within the deceased’s family, Detective Blanc (Craig) arrives to investigate the suspicious circumstances of Thrombey’s death, with everyone a suspect.

    Henwick had her first breakout role in the Netflix and Marvel series ‘Iron Fist’. She followed that up by landing a coveted leading role in the next chapter in ‘The Matrix’ series starring opposite Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss.

    She is currently filming ‘The Gray Man’ opposite Ryan Gosling and Chris Evans.

  • Netflix acquires ‘Knives Out’ sequels for a whopping USD 450 million

    By PTI
    LOS ANGELES: Streaming platform Netflix has bought the rights to the sequels of director Rian Johnson’s “Knives Out” for a whopping USD 450 million, with Daniel Craig set to return in the two follow-ups of the murder mystery franchise.

    Touted as one of the biggest deals ever made for the rights to a movie series by a streamer, the deal gives Netflix a new and popular film series led by the outgoing James Bond star.

    “Knives Out” follows a family gathering gone horribly awry, after the family patriarch’s death leads master detective Benoit Blanc (Craig) to investigate.

    The 2019 whodunnit also features Chris Evans, Ana de Armas, Jamie Lee Curtis, Michael Shannon, Don Johnson, Toni Collette, Lakeith Stanfield, Katherine Langford, Jaeden Martell, and Christopher Plummer.

    The film was produced by Media Rights Capital (MRC) and was distributed by Lionsgate.

    It earned USD 311.4 million on a USD 40 million budget, with Johnson garnering a nomination for an Oscar for best original screenplay.

    According to Variety, it is unclear if MRC will also return to back the sequels.

    Craig, who is waiting for his fifth and final outing as the iconic spy James Bond in “No Time to Die” to hit theatres later this year after several production and COVID-19 related delays, will get to be part of another money-spinning film series in “Knives Out”.

    Johnson, whose previous directing credits include “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” and “Looper”, said in a 2019 interview that he wants to follow the template made famous by iconic detective author Agatha Christie if he decides to make another film in the whodunnit genre.

    “I had so much fun with this, and I had so much fun with Daniel, if I can make another mystery with the same character, and do what Agatha Christie did and do a new cast and a new setting and make a few of these,” the director had said.

    It is unclear if the films will also have a limited theatrical release besides streaming on Netflix.

  • Daniel Craig starrer ‘No Time To Die’ release delayed again

    By ANI
    WASHINGTON: The latest ‘James Bond’ instalment ‘No Time to Die,’ starring Daniel Craig has been postponed yet again. The movie will now release in theatres on October 8. It was originally scheduled to open on April 2.

    According to Variety, the delay in release is hardly a surprise as Hollywood has been widely anticipating that ‘No Time to Die’ would face another delay as coronavirus cases continue to skyrocket.

    MGM is rolling out ‘No Time to Die’ in North America, while Universal has international rights. Since the movie carries a massive price tag around USD 200 million, it relies on substantial global ticket sales to turn a profit. That’s nearly impossible to achieve at a time when most movie theatres are closed, and the few that remain open have been operating at a reduced capacity.

    As reported by Variety, the announcement which was made by the makers on Thursday (local time) marks the film’s third delay in the last 10 months. In March of 2020, ‘No Time to Die’ became the first tentpole to shift its release date amid the pandemic.

    The latest scheduling shift for ‘No Time to Die’ may inspire rival studios to delay any movies still set for the first few months of the year. Moments after MGM relocated Bond, Universal announced that the studio’s Bob Odenkirk-led action thriller ‘Nobody’ was moving from February 26 to April 2.

    Sony has also redated ‘Peter Rabbit 2,’ ‘Ghostbusters: Afterlife’ and ‘Cinderella.’ Meanwhile, Focus Features, the speciality studio owned by Universal, bumped Edgar Wright’s ‘Last Night in Soho’ from April 23 back to October 22. It’s also been commonly speculated that Universal’s ‘Fast & Furious’ sequel ‘F9’ won’t keep its May 28 release date.

    Variety reported that Cary Joji Fukunaga directed ‘No Time to Die,’ the 25th entry in the Bond franchise and the final go-around for star Daniel Craig. The cast also includes Rami Malek as Bond’s adversary Safin, Lashana Lynch as a new ‘007 agent and Lea Seydoux as Bond’s love interest. Ana de Armas, Ben Whishaw and Christoph Waltz also star.

  • No Time To Die to Black Widow: Hollywood movies releasing in 2021

    By IANS
    NEW DELHI: When it comes to Hollywood, 2021 is going to be a year of superheroes, reboots and follow-ups on the big screen — and, of course, James Bond.

    The Hollywood calendar of the year comes packed with big blockbusters including Scarlett Johansson’s solo superhero outing “Black Widow”, the/-+ Dwayne Johnson adventure “Jungle Cruise”, Marvel’s latest superhero genre addition “Eternals”, Tom Cruise’s new “Top Gun” sequel and Daniel Craig’s final outing as James Bond, “No Time To Die”. IANS lists the Hollywood releases lined up in 2021 that sure gets us excited:

    NO TIME TO DIE

    Certainly the most talked-about Hollywood film not to release in 2020, Daniel Craig’s final outing as James Bond is now scheduled to release on April 2 this year. The 25th instalment of the franchise also features Rami Malek as the new Bond villain Safin, and brings back Lea Seydoux as Dr. Madeleine Swann, Ben Whishaw as Q, Ralph Fiennes as M, Naomie Harris as Moneypenny and Jeffrey Wright as CIA agent Felix Leiter. It is directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga.

    BLACK WIDOW

    Marvel Studios will finally release their solo “Black Widow” film, which aims to give a new twist to women power in the superhero universe. The film will bring back Scarlett Johansson as of Natasha Romanoff and her superhero alter ego Black Widow, as she traces her past to solve the puzzle of her life. The film was slated to release in 2020, but got pushed due to the Covid crisis. Now, it is slated to release on May 7.

    FAST & FURIOUS 9

    Hollywood stars Vin Diesel and John Cena will give bromance a new spin in the upcoming “Fast & Furious” film, which will be fuelled by the emotion of vengeance. The saga sees the return of Justin Lin as director, who helmed the third, fourth, fifth and sixth chapters of the series. The film also stars Tyrese Gibson, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, Jordana Brewster, Nathalie Emmanuel, Helen Mirren and Charlize Theron. It is expected to release in the first quarter of the year.

    UNTITLED SPIDER-MAN: FAR FROM HOME SEQUEL

    The Tom Holland-led film is expected to be a treat for franchise fans. Spider-Man’s new adventure will bring back Benedict Cumberbatch as the sorcerer superhero Doctor Strange and Alfred Molina as the evil Doctor Octopus. Jamie Foxx will reportedly appear as Electro. The upcoming adventure is expected to feature multiple generations of “Spider-Man” actors, with actors from past films in the series reprising their characters. The third “Spider-Man” film is scheduled for a theatrical release on December 17, 2021.

    TOP GUN: MAVERICK

    At 58, Hollywood superstar Tom Cruise will be back in his popular avatar as Pete “Maverick” Mitchell in “Top Gun: Maverick”, the much-anticipated sequel of the 1986 hit “Top Gun”. The Joseph Kosinski-directed film co-stars Jon Hamm, Jennifer Connelly, Glen Powell, Miles Teller and Jay Ellis. The trailer shows Maverick going back to Naval Fighter Weapons School to teach to the younger generations. It is slated to release on July 2.

    JUNGLE CRUISE

    Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt go on an action packed ride in the film based on the Disneyland ride of the same name. The Jaume Collet-Serra-directed film is set in the early 20th century, and follows the journey of a riverboat captain (Johnson) and scientist (Blunt) as they go into the jungles to find the Tree of Life. It is slated to release on July 30.

    MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE 7

    Tom Cruise returns as Ethan Hunt in “Mission: Impossible 7”, which is helmed by filmmaker Christopher McQuarrie. It is slated to open on November 19, 2021. The spy action thriller also stars Rebecca Ferguson, Ving Rhames, Vanessa Kirby, Simon Pegg, and Hayley Atwell.

    DUNE

    Denis Villeneuve’s much-hyped sci-fi movie is slated to release on October 1. An official adaptation of Frank Herbert’s classic of the same name, the film will explore themes like politics, religion, and war amid the backdrop of the planet Arrakis, known as Dune. It features Timothee Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Oscar Isaac, Josh Brolin, Stellan Skarsgard, Dave Bautista, Charlotte Rampling, Jason Momoa and Javier Bardem.

    A QUIET PLACE PART II

    The John Krasinski and Emily Blunt-starrer was originally set to hit the big screen last March, but was among numerous Hollywood films delayed owing to Covid. It is now scheduled on April 23 this year. The horror film is a sequel of the 2018 winner “A Quiet Place”, which imagined a post-apocalyptic world where humans fall prey to fast-moving creatures who track their victims by sound.

    VENOM: LET THERE BE CARNAGE

    Tom Hardy’s much-anticipated “Venom” sequel is also slated to open this year. Andy Serkis has directed the second part of the action fantasy franchise, which sees Hardy take on an alien symbiote again for another adventure. It is expected to release in June.

    THE SUICIDE SQUAD

    James Gunn’s “The Suicide Squad” is a reboot of the 2016 film “Suicide Squad”, helmed by David Ayer. Margot Robbie, Joel Kinnaman and Viola Davis will reprise the roles they played in the first film. It stars Pete Davidson as Blackguard, John Cena as Peacemaker, Idris Elba as Bloodsport, Alice Braga as Sul Soria among others. It is expected to release in August.

    THE KING’S MAN

    Slated to open on March 12, the Matthew Vaughn-directorial is a prequel in the “Kingsman” film series. It is loosely based on the comic book series “Kingsman”, created by Dave Gibbons and Mark Millar. The film takes place decades before the first two instalments in the franchise so far — “Kingsman: The Secret Service” (2014) and “Kingsman: The Golden Circle” (2017). It features Ralph Fiennes, Gemma Arterton, Rhys Ifans, Matthew Goode, Daniel Bruhl and Djimon Hounsou.

    MORBIUS

    The “Spider-Man” spinoff is slated to release on March 19. It stars Jared Leto in the titular role as Michael Morbius, a scientist who turns into a vampire.

    THE MATRIX 4

    Priyanka Chopra will be joining Keanu Reeves in the next part of “The Matrix”, which is expected to release later this year. The film is produced, co-written and directed by Lana Wachowski, who co-directed and co-wrote three of the previous films with her sister Lilly.

    TOM AND JERRY

    The live-action/ CG-animated film features the iconic cartoon characters as they go on another fun-filled adventure. The film stars Chloe Grace Moretz and Michael Pena. It is expected to open in the first quarter of the year.

    MONSTER HUNTER

    Directed by Paul WS Anderson, the film is based on the video game series of the same name. The film stars Milla Jovovich, Tony Jaa, Tip “T. I.” Harris, Meagan Good, Diego Boneta, Josh Helman, Jin Au-Yeung and Ron Perlman. It is expected to release in the first quarter of the year.

    FREE GUY

    The Ryan Reynolds-led action comedy is about a non-player character in a video game. The Shawn Levy-directed film also stars Jodie Comer, Joe Keery, Lil Rel Howery, Utkarsh Ambudkar and Taika Waititi. It is slated to release on May 21.

    SHANG-CHI AND THE LEGEND OF THE TEN RINGS

    Marvel’s first Asian origin superhero will be introduced this year, with the Destin Daniel Cretton directorial. In the film, Simu Liu stars as the title character with Awkwafina in an unspecified role and Tony Leung playing the iconic comicbook villain known as The Mandarin. It is slated to release on July 9.

    ETERNALS

    Directed by Chloe Zhao, the film stars Angelina Jolie, Richard Madden, Kit Harington, Gemma Chan, Salma Hayek and Kumail Nanjiani. It is about the super-powered beings, The Celestials, and their villainous adversaries, The Deviants, in a war set millions of years ago. Nanjiani had revealed that his character will have the secret identity of a Bollywood star. It is expected to open on November 5, 2021.

    WEST SIDE STORY

    Filmmaker Steven Spielberg has reimagined the musical “West Side Story” for the big screen. The classic New York tale tells the story of two lovers — Maria, a Puerto Rican, whose brother Bernardo is the leader of the “Sharks” street gang, and Tony, a former leader of the “Jets”, who battled the Sharks. The film is at the same time a romance and a crime story. It is a story of street gangs, racism, and violence in the shadows of rising skyscrapers. It will open on December 10.

    GHOSTBUSTERS: AFTERLIFE

    Jason Reitman’s “Ghostbusters: Afterlife” is a direct sequel set 30 years after “Ghostbusters II”. It follows two children (Mckenna Grace and Finn Wolfhard) and their mother (Carrie Coon) who discover their link to the original gang. It also stars Bill Murray, Sigourney Weaver and Paul Rudd. It is slated to release on June 11.

    DEATH ON THE NILE

    Director Kenneth Branagh returns with a new Agatha Christie adaptation, after the commercially successful and star-studded 2017 release, “Murder On The Orient Express”. It is about a murder of passion aboard a cruise ship on the Nile. The film casts Gal Gadot, Branagh, Letitia Wright, Armie Hammer, Annette Bening, Sophie Okonedo, Tom Bateman, Emma Mackey, Dawn French, Rose Leslie, Jennifer Saunders, and Russell Brand, along with Indian actor Ali Fazal. It is slated to release on September 17.