At the end of No Time To Die, Daniel Craig’s 007 sacrificed himself for the greater good, and there were certainly tears to be shed. It’s a result that’s still talked about a little more than a year after it finally hit theatres, making it a landmark event in the history of James Bond movies. Such a sombre, heartbreaking moment does not lend itself to easy conversation… unless you’re composer Hans Zimmer, who gleefully reflected on how he, musically, killed Commander Bond.
In a recent Instagram video, the Academy Award-winning composer played a game of “Hans Zimmer Trivia.” With No Time To Die as the score in question, Zimmer laughed and delivered the following apology, as well as some cheeky reflection:
Who would have ever thunk I was gonna be the one to kill off James Bond? You know, I mean, what an honor. I mean, it was incredible, being asked to, you know, I actually did it with my friend Steve Mazzaro, who’s a brilliant composer. And the two of us, sorry about this Daniel, but we just had to go and finish you off.
The death of James Bond effectively ended the Daniel Craig era of films, thanks to the tightly-woven continuity that began with Casino Royale. Just as whoever plays the next Bond will have a difficult act to follow in the shadow of Craig’s performance, the next musical score will have to compete with Hans Zimmer’s incredible work.
On the plus side, whoever the next composer is will be able to claim that they resurrected 007, which is just as thrilling as sending him to his doom. No Time To Die, which can be streamed by those with an active Prime Video subscription, features Hans Zimmer’s music and Daniel Craig’s intense performance.
While you’re at it, watch The Sound of 007 documentary to learn more about the legacy of 007 music. The insight into the creation of this lethal James Bond score is essential viewing, with sections that focus intently on Zimmer’s score.
Do you think Daniel Craig left some heavy shoes to fill in? Sound off in the comments.
