James Bond is a ‘wounded animal’ in No Time To Die

The director of the upcoming Bond movie reveals the secret agent isn’t in a great place at the beginning of No Time To Die.

Don’t expect James Bond to be a debonair and carefree Lothario in the vein of Sean Connery in the latest 007 outing.

In a behind-the-scenes video released ahead of No Time To Die’s April 8 release, director and co-writer Cary Joji Fukunaga described Bond as a “wounded animal”.

In voiceover, Fukunaga described the superspy as “struggling with his role as a double-0” five years after retirement.

Fukunaga also hinted that the game has changed and Bond isn’t maybe as equipped to handle it after being out of service for so long.

“The rules of engagement aren’t what they used to be; the rules of espionage are darker in this world of asymmetric warfare.

“The people close to Bond, those he considers to be family, are at great risk and now there’s someone new out there, more dangerous than anyone he’s ever encountered.”

One of the aspects the Bond franchise has been grappling with since its inception more than 50 years ago is who is the enemy?

Despite the fact many of the films were set during the Cold War, and the character is from books by Ian Fleming, who worked for British intelligence during WWII, Bond has most frequently faced non-state villains operating secret cabals under governments’ noses.

The villain in No Time To Die is a mysterious figure named Safin, played by Oscar winner Rami Malek, a character Fukunaga described as “smarter and stronger than SPECTRE”.

The plot revolves around Bond being enlisted by CIA contact Felix Leiter to help search for a missing scientist.

James Bond is a ‘wounded animal’ in No Time To Die.

No Time To Die marks the final Bond film for Daniel Craig, who famously said he was done after Spectre, but was lured back for one more adventure.

Reprising their roles will be Lea Seydoux as Madeleine Swann, Naomie Harris as Eve Moneypenny, Christoph Waltz as Blofeld, Ralph Fiennes as M, Rory Kinnear as Tanner, Ben Whishaw as Q and Jeffrey Wright as Felix Leiter, marking the latter’s return after appearing in Casino Royale and Quantum Of Solace.

Newcomers include Ana de Armas as Paloma, a CIA agent, and Lashana Lynch as Nomi. Lynch’s character was originally speculated to be an MI6 agent who has taken on the designation of 007 after Bond’s retirement, but was later clarified to be a 00, not necessarily 007.

The cast of No Time To Die, l-r Lea Seydoux, director Cary Joji Fukunaga, Ana de Armas, Daniel Craig, Naomie Harris and Lashana Lynch in Jamaica last year at the start of filming. Picture: Slaven Vlasic/Getty Images for Metro Goldwyn Mayer Pictures

Fukunaga boarded the project as director after Danny Boyle (Slumdog Millionaire, Trainspotting) left over creative differences. Fukunaga, an American filmmaker best known for his work on True Detective, Beasts Of No Nation and Jane Eyre, conceived the story and wrote the screenplay with regular Bond scribes Neal Purvis and Robert Wade.

Fleabag creator, writer and actor (and genius) Phoebe Waller-Bridge was brought on later in the process by Craig to give the script a polish, earning her a screenplay credit and a reported $US2 million ($A3 million) payday, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Waller-Bridge has previously said she was excited to bring another perspective to the characters, especially the ones played by Lynch, Seydoux and de Armas.

Earlier this month, Billie Eilish released the theme song, “No Time To Die”.

No Time To Die is in cinemas in Australia on April 8

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