Exactly how old is James Bond in the forthcoming Daniel Craig in the title role, No Time To Die would've already been and gone were it not for a global pandemic putting the entire entertainment industry on hold. Indeed, the closure of theaters across the world is just one of many setbacks in No Time To Die's development, with original director, Danny Boyle, stepping away from the project due to creative differences. Nevertheless, excitement for No Time To Die remains high, with Craig's Bond going up against Rami Malek's Safin and navigating a deadly secret with his lover, Madeleine Swann.
Born in March 1968, Craig was 37 when first announced to the world as Spectre in 2015, No Time To Die seemingly begins with 007 actually in retirement, and the trailer shows Lashana Lynch's younger 00 agent mocking her predecessor's ailing body.
With Bond's age a key plot point in No Time To Die, how old is the character actually meant to be during Daniel Craig's franchise swansong? In the marketing build to Casino Royale, the movie's official website published a biography of their rebooted Bond that helpfully listed the character's date of birth as April 13th, 1968. Not only is this date a mere few weeks away from Daniel Craig's actual birth, but "April 13th" is a loving nod to the release of Ian Fleming's original Casino Royale novel. Distinctly less helpful is the temporary guardianship file glimpsed briefly in Spectre, which states that young James was 12 year- old in 1983, shifting his date of birth forward by 3 years to 1971.
As for when each Quantum of Solace and Skyfall, but the presence of the Aston Martin DB10 in Spectre suggests the film was set in 2015, the same year it was released. No Time To Die is confirmed to begin almost 5 years after Spectre, once again lining up with the real life premiere date. If No Time To Die starts in 2020, James Bond would be 51/52 using the original 1968 birth date and 48/49 going by the guardianship record in Spectre.
Evidently, continuity has not been a priority in the construction of Daniel Craig's James Bond timeline, with several ambiguities and multiple interpretations. Given how Nomi mocks Bond's creaking body in the No Time To Die trailer, however, the 51/52 age feels more likely, while also lining up more accurately with Daniel Craig's real age. Modern Bond's timeline might not be watertight, but the general intention for the final installment is to portray James as a retired veteran, however old that might be.
