I hope someone writes a book about the making of No Time To Die someday. I want to know which rumors are true and which are false. What was the straw that broke the camel’s back and caused Danny Boyle to exit the director’s chair? What was the deal with all the rumored issues on set? Did the crew really revolt because director Cary Fukunaga was spending too much time playing PlayStation in his trailer? Seriously, why is this production so troubled?
We now have a new chapter in the long list of complications surrounding Daniel Craig’s final James Bond film. Variety is reporting that musical composer Dan Romer has left the project, citing the age-old excuse of “creative differences” as the cause of his exit. It’s a bit hard to believe that Romer had differences with Fukunaga since he had worked with him multiple times before. But it’s very likely that the differences were between Romer and the Broccoli family who have produced all the Bond films.
The differences must have been pretty substantial to fire a composer this late in the process. No Time To Die is already in post-production, with an April release date quickly approaching. Hans Zimmer has stepped in to create the score and is going to be working extra hard because he has to have the music completed by mid-February. That’s just weeks away, folks. I know Zimmer is a pro but that’s quite the time crunch. Variety says he may enlist the help of fellow composers Benjamin Wallfisch or Lorne Balfe in order to meet his deadline. Might I also suggest some Red Bull, Hans?
It’s news like this that really makes you see why Craig has decided to retire from the Bond series. This whole process is just massive and exhausting for all involved and Eon Productions holds such a tight leash on the franchise. People talk about how few risks Marvel Studios takes but that is doubly true for the folks behind the Bond series. I can’t say I blame them for being so protective of their prized possession but their possessiveness can lead to some damaged relationships with creative folks. Don’t get me wrong, it’s okay to know what you want from a film you’re producing and it’s okay to demand exactly that but that means you have to actually know what you want. It seems that the Broccoli family and Eon Productions aren’t entirely positive about their own intentions and that’s leading to issues like Boyle — and now Romer — leaving.
No Time To Die is set to debut in the states on April 10, just a week after its premiere in the UK. Then and only then will we finally see how all this behind-the-scenes drama affected how the films looks…and sounds.