No Time To Die: When James Bond 25 Takes Place In The Timeline

Here’s when No Time To Die is set within the Daniel Craig timeline of James Bond. The movie industry is mostly on hold at present due to the coronavirus pandemic, and one of the first major releases to fall victim to these sweeping delays was No Time To Die. The 25th movie in James Bond’s official canon (and the 5th in Craig’s), this adventure will be the actor’s last as 007 and will include all the usual familiar faces, as well as Christoph Waltz’s Blofeld, Léa Seydoux’s Madeleine Swann, Lashana Lynch’s Nomi and Rami Malek’s Safin.

Although the biggest plot details remain firmly under wraps, it’s clear that No Time To Die is designed as a definitive conclusion to Daniel Craig’s James Bond arc. 007 is in retirement as the story begins, and new recruit Nomi has replaced him at MI6. Bond must now fight to see whether he can enjoy a happy retirement, or whether the ghosts of his past will rise to haunt him. Previous Bond eras have enjoyed elements of continuity – the gradual build towards Blofeld’s reveal, for example – but the Daniel Craig films have been more interconnected and more serialized than ever before in the character’s long history.

Related: James Bond: Why Mr. White Killed Himself In Spectre

Back in February, No Time To Die‘s director, Cary Fukunaga, confirmed that his film picks up five years after Bond’s retirement. Craig’s character appeared to leave the espionage business behind in the final moments of Spectre, so it can be assumed that No Time To Die takes place 5 years after that film. The presence of an Aston Martin DB10 dates Spectre in 2015, giving No Time To Die a modern day setting of 2020. James Bond movies typically take place in a contemporary environment, and it seems No Time To Die is following this trend. For context, both Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace appear to be set in 2008, since the latter features a party invitation dated for that year, and Casino Royale takes place immediately before its sequel.

There is a deliberate air of ambiguity around the timeline of Daniel Craig’s James Bond story. Using the dates mentioned above, 007 would’ve enjoyed a surprisingly short official spy career of only 7 years between 2008 and 2015, since Casino Royale begins with Bond as a rookie agent. Obviously, this brief run goes against the “well-worn, battle-weary servant of the United Kingdom” concept at the heart of No Time To Die. Modern Bond films give the impression that the character has spent far longer in the field, and in order to maintain this illusion, it’s unlikely that No Time To Die will be specific about its timeline in relation to the real world, allowing Daniel Craig to play Bond a little older than himself.

As mentioned previously, No Time To Die is the latest in a long line of James Bond films to be set in the year of release, but there’s a reason behind that pattern – the gadgets. Part of Bond’s appeal is the array of spy gadgetry at 007‘s disposal, even in the tech-lite entries of recent years. James Bond films offer a glimpse at cutting-edge, slightly fantastical gadgets without straying into the territory of science fiction. A modern setting allows Bond to delve into that advanced technological world while remaining with the realms of realism.

More: The First James Bond (It Wasn’t Sean Connery)