Daniel Craig’s Best James Bond Film Is Leaving Netflix
The name’s Craig, Daniel Craig and from 2006 until 2021 he was the face of the James Bond franchise. Over five movies, Craig played the British spy and now is your last chance to catch the third title in that series, 2012’s Skyfall before it takes its final bow and leaves Netflix on August 1.
A must-watch for any self-proclaimed Bond fanatic, the Sam Mendes (American Beauty) helmed feature should be at the top of your July viewing list – after all, it is summer blockbuster season!
Daniel Craig’s 2012 outing as James Bond in Skyfall departs Netflix on August 1.
In the first of two of the franchise’s films directed by Sam Mendes, Daniel Craig stars in Skyfall as the notorious MI6 agent who is on a mission to bring down the people responsible for data leaks and attacks on his secretive agency.
With Craig returning to the role of James Bond, the film also sees Judi Dench reprising her role as M with Javier Bardem playing the film’s primary antagonist, Raoul Silva. Filling out the title’s ensemble cast are big names including Ralph Fiennes, Naomie Harris, Ben Whishaw, Albert Finney, and Bérénice Marlohe.
With Martin Campbell standing behind Casino Royale, the first of Daniel Craig’s James Bond films, in 2006 and Marc Forster directing 2008’s Quantum of Solace, Metro-Goldwyn-Meyer, the production team behind the franchise, was ready for a switch, approaching Mendes and asking him to take the reins.
While their agreement happened soon following the release of Quantum Solace, it wouldn’t be until 2010 that filming would get underway as MGM filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, which in turn disturbed the project’s flow. When cameras finally began rolling, the cast and crew went on a globe-trotting adventure to cities and countries, including London, Istanbul, Shanghai, and Scotland.
Skyfall nabbed five Academy Award nominations and took home two for Best Original Song and Best Sound Editing.
An absolute smash at the box office, Skyfall saw a terrific turnout, proving that the fans were eager to see more of Daniel Craig as James Bond. Against a production budget of $150-200 million, by the time the film left theaters, it had raked in around $1.11 billion.
Praising the performances and the writing team for keeping the famed spy as cool and debonair as ever, the film gained massive critical acclaim. With all the love pouring in, it should come as no surprise that Skyfall absolutely cleaned up at that year’s award circuit.
Nabbing five Academy Award nominations and taking home two for Best Original Song and Best Sound Editing, Skyfall was also a big contender and winner at the BAFTAs, Critics’ Choice Movie Awards, Golden Globe Awards, and the Screen Actors Guild Awards.
As for the film’s original song, Adele hit a high note with “Skyfall,” a song that not only earned the talented singer an Academy Award but also saw her taking home a Grammy. The film fell just one year after her second studio album 21, which included songs like “Rolling in the Deep” and “Rumour Has It”, further launched her to stardom, cementing the singer a place among the greats.
As for Daniel Craig’s run as James Bond, the actor took a brief hiatus from Hollywood following the overwhelming success of Skyfall, to return to the character three years later in Spectre where he also served in a co-producer capacity. Over the moon with his work on the last feature, MGM brought Sam Mendes back to direct making him the only filmmaker during Craig’s run to lend his creative vision to two films.
What’s next for Daniel Craig?
After a long wait of six years, audiences finally said goodbye to Daniel Craig’s James Bond in 2021 with the release of Cary Joji Fukunaga’s (Beasts of No Nation) No Time to Die. Many were sad to see Craig’s time as the MI6 agent come to an end but with the Bond films out of the way, he’s been able to open up his schedule for other incredible projects like Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery and the upcoming Luca Guadagnino-directed romantic period drama, Queer.
With Skyfall soon leaving Netflix, you’ll want to be certain to check out the beloved Daniel Craig-led film before it’s too late. One of the biggest earners of James Bond franchise history, the Sam Mendes title is a classic for a reason. Get in on the action before it’s gone on August 1.
