Here's the meaning behind every No Time To Die, releases in April 2020, and it continues the franchise's dramatic flair for titles.
James Bond was created by Ian Fleming in the 1950s and the prolific author penned 14 books about his dashing secret agent, which includes 12 novels and 2 collections of short stories. The Bond movies began with 1962's Dr. No and for the first two decades of the franchise, the films either adapted or simply borrowed the provocative titles of Fleming's tales. After The Living Daylights in 1987, the movies had run through the bulk of Fleming's ideas and resorted to mimicking the creator's evocative style for Bond movie titles from 1989's License to Kill to 2002's Die Another Day. Curiously, despite numerous James Bond continuation novels written by John Gardner, Raymond Benson, and Anthony Horowitz, the movies don't borrow the Fleming-like titles concocted by them. Eventually, the use of Ian Fleming's book titles returned for the first two of Daniel Craig's films, Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace.
So, what makes a James Bond title so unique? It boils down to an ineffable combination of drama, intrigue, a pithy play on words, and an occasional naughtiness - all aspects of the suave super spy himself - which lend themselves to being unforgettable. Additionally, there is often hidden significance behind the Bond movie titles that can be as fascinating as the world-saving adventures 007 embarks upon. Here's what the titles of every James Bond movie mean, from the 25 "official" films and including Sean Connery's "unofficial" 1983 comeback as 007, Never Say Never Again.
Dr. No (1962)
The first James Bond movie not only introduced Sean Connery as 007, it adapted the 6th Ian Fleming Novel, Dr. No. It's also the first Bond movie to be named after the villain, Doctor Julius No (Joseph Wiseman), a reclusive Chinese-German scientist with metal hands who planned to disrupt the Mercury space program. In addition, Dr. No marks the first time SPECTRE is mentioned in a Bond movie as the titular villain is an agent of the villainous organization.
From Russia With Love (1963)
From Russia With Love is named after the fifth Ian Fleming novel. The title refers to Tatiana Romanova (Daniela Bianchi), a Soviet corporal and cipher clerk who is used as bait by SPECTRE to lure 007 to Istanbul with the promise of both romance and possession of the Lekter cryptography device. President John F. Kennedy also considered From Russia With Love one of his favorite novels, which boosted the popularity of Ian Fleming's James Bond books in the United States.
Goldfinger (1964)
Goldfinger is also titled for the film's villain, Auric Goldfinger (Gert Fröbe), who planned to irradiate the United States' gold deposit in Fort Knox to increase the value of his own private shares. The title track, "Goldfinger", sung by Shirley Bassey is also arguably the most iconic Bond movie theme just as Goldfinger is generally considered the most popular of Sean Connery's James Bond movies.
Thunderball (1965)
Thunderball refers to Operation: Thunderball, the British Secret Service's response to SPECTRE stealing two atomic missiles and threatening to launch them on major world cities. Thunderball adapts the ninth Ian Fleming Bond novel, which introduced SPECTRE's leader Ernst Stavro Blofeld and was the start of the novels' "Blofeld Trilogy" (although Blofeld made his movie debut in From Russia With Love).
You Only Live Twice (1967)
You Only Live Twice refers to Bond being "killed" at the start of the movie as part of an operation where 007 covertly visits Japan to discover SPECTRE's plot to derail NASA's space program. The film only loosely adapts Ian Fleming's 12th Bond novel of the same name. In the book, Bond learns to compose a haiku: "You only live twice/Once when you are born/And once when you look death in the face". However, the title song sung by Nancy Sinatra changes the lyric to "You Only Live Twice/Or so it seems/One life for yourself/And one for your dreams".
On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969)
On Her Majesty's Secret Service is an obvious reference to Bond's employment by the British Secret Service but the title carries no greater significance in regards to the movie's story. In the film, as in Ian Fleming's 11th novel with the same title, James Bond (played by George Lazenby for the only time) uncovers another plot by Blofeld (Telly Savalas) while he falls in love and marries Tracy Di Vincenzo (Diana Rigg). The opening credits of On Her Majesty's Secret Service reference the previous Connery movies to establish that Lazenby's 007 is the direct continuation of the same character.
Diamonds Are Forever (1971)
Diamonds Are Forever loosely adapts the 4th Ian Fleming James Bond novel where 007 tracks a diamond smuggling operation. The film then takes Bond to Las Vegas to discover yet another elaborate Blofeld plot. In the context of the film, with Sean Connery returning to the role after George Lazenby's one-off, Diamonds Are Forever also implies how indestructible James Bond has proven to be.
Live And Let Die (1973)
Live And Let Die is the second James Bond novel by Ian Fleming and it's the first to star Roger Moore as 007, who would embody the superspy for the next decade. The title is an obvious James Bondian play on the classic aphorism "Live and let live", which is highlighted in the lyrics to "Live And Let Die", the chart-topping rock song recorded by Paul McCartney and Wings.
The Man With The Golden Gun (1974)
The Man With The Golden Gun refers to Scaramanga (Christopher Lee), the world's greatest assassin who charges a million dollars to dispatch a target with his signature weapon and takes aim at 007 himself. The Man With The Golden Gun is adapted from Ian Fleming's 13th James Bond novel, which was published posthumously.
The Spy Who Loved Me (1977)
The Spy Who Loved Me uses the title of the 10th Ian Fleming James Bond novel but it has no resemblance to the book's story. Instead, the film's title refers to Anya Amasova AKA Agent XXX (Barbara Bach), Bond's Soviet equivalent, who teams up with 007 to stop a man named Stromberg (Curd Jurgens) from sparking World War III to create a new civilization underwater.
