Whishaw says NTTD is a ‘summing up’ of Craig’s Bond films

Publicity still of Ben Whishaw with Daniel Craig in Skyfall

No Time to Die will be a “summing up” of Daniel Craig’s James Bond films, actor Ben Whishaw said in an interview with the Collider website.

“There are strands of all of the films in it, kind of reaching a conclusion,” Whishaw said. No Time to Die is Craig’s fifth Bond movie.

The actor also said director Cary Fukunaga approached the 25th James Bond film “almost” like an independent film and that filming was “quite improvisational.”

Collider interviewed Whishaw at the Sundance Film Festival.

Whishaw joined the Bond film series with 2012’s Skyfall as a younger Q.

UPDATE (9:30 p.m., New York time): Collider posted its video interview of Ben Whishaw to YouTube. Said video is embedded below.

UPDATE (10:20 p.m., New York time): IMDB.com has posted a separate interview with Whishaw. In that interview, the actor says he has completed a three-film Bond contract with No Time to Die.

 

Billie Eilish says No Time to Die song is finished

Billie Eilish, ahead of winning a number of Grammy Awards on Sunday night, said the title song for No Time to Die is finished.

“It’s done,” Eilish said in an interview on the E! cable channel.

She didn’t provide additional details. (Does done mean it’s recorded? Or just written and recording still has to take place?). Eilish did talk about doing a Bond song in general.

“Writing a Bond theme song is like one of, I feel like,  the biggest goals in life” for a musician and songwriter, she said.

Eilish is performing the No Time to Die song and co-wrote it with her brother Finneas O’Connell.

The interview is below. The Bond portion begins at the 1:19 mark.

MGM is leading media acquisition target, CNBC says

MGM’s Leo the Lion logo

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, James Bond’s home studio, is the leading acquisition target among media companies as the industry consolidates, CNBC reported.

MGM “has held preliminary talks” with companies including Apple and Netflix “to gauge their interest,” the financial news network said in an online story. CNBC cited two people familiar with the situation it didn’t identify.

The Wall Street Journal reported last month that Apple held preliminary talks with MGM.

Danjaq, parent company of Eon Productions, and MGM control the Bond film franchise. MGM is owned by a group of hedge funds, which acquired MGM out of a 2010 bankruptcy.

MGM may now be worth $10 billion, CNBC said. Besides Bond, it produces television shows for cable networks and streaming services and owns the Epix premium channel.

Netflix has prompted studios including Walt Disney Co. to start their own streaming services. Apple also has established a streaming service and reportedly is looking to add programming.