Daniel Craig looks brooding as ever in newly released images for No Time To Die as he marks his final turn as James Bond.
The upcoming blockbuster will see 007 face off against the villainous Safin, portrayed by Rami Malek, in his latest life-threatening mission.
Speaking in a new feature called ‘Meet Safin’, Rami, 39, told how his character will be a formidable foe for Bond.
Action star: Daniel Craig, 52, looks brooding as ever in newly released images for No Time To Die as he marks his final turn as James Bond
He said: ‘What I really wanted from Safin was to make him unsettling, thinking of himself as being heroic.
‘Safin is a formidable adversary. James Bond has to adapt to that.’
No Time To Die director Cary Joji Fukunaga agreed with Rami, saying: ‘What he [Safin] wants and what he’s willing to do makes him a very frightening character, both to Bond but also on a global level.’
In the new images, Bond is in a crowded bar dressed in a black shirt as he speaks in hushed tones to a man.
Adversary: The upcoming blockbuster will see 007 face off against the villainous Safin, portrayed by Rami Malek, in his latest life-threatening mission
Safin looks menacing as ever as he stares straight into the camera while standing in an empty room with grey walls.
The new feature also has a clip from the film where Safin is seen telling Bond: ‘I’ve made you redundant’.
Bond replies: ‘No… not as long as there are people like you in the world.’
The secret agent’s love interest Madeleine Swann (Lea Seydoux) is also featured in the new images as she holds a mysterious black box.
The 25th film in the franchise finds Bond after he has left active service and is enjoying a tranquil life in Jamaica when his old friend Felix Leiter, played by Jeffrey Wright, from the CIA turns up asking for help.
Scene: In the new images, Bond is in a crowded bar dressed in a black shirt as he speaks in hushed tones to a man
Leaving his seemingly happy live with Madeleine, Bond returns to the field to face Safin who is armed with a new dangerous technology that could impact the world.
In June it was confirmed that the release date for the anticipated film had been moved forward by two weeks and will open in the UK on November 12 and the US on November 20.
The film was originally scheduled for release in April, but was pushed back to November 25 in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, and was then brought forward to November 8 before the most recent change.
In the summer, it was reported that the film’s release date was set to change once again, after the COVID-19 crisis led the launch to be delayed by seven months.
According to a report from The Sun, it was being considered whether the film’s release should be moved yet again over fears of losing money at the box office.
Anxious: The secret agent’s love interest Madeleine Swann (Lea Seydoux) is also featured in the new images as she holds a mysterious black box
It was claimed that the continued increase in COVID-19 cases in the US meant film executives were concerned about how many people would be able to see it.
A source told the publication: ‘There are secret talks about what to do. Having No Time To Die earning less than half a billion would be deemed a disaster no matter the circumstances.’
MailOnline contacted EON productions for comment at the time.
The upcoming movie will mark Daniel’s last-ever outing as the iconic character, which the actor recently insisted he was ‘fine’ about.
He told British GQ: ‘I’m really… I’m OK. I don’t think I would have been if I’d done the last film and that had been it. But this, I’m like… Let’s go. Let’s get on with it. I’m fine.’
Ally: Bond is aided by fellow agent Nomi, played by Lashana Lynch, in the upcoming flick
The actor also insisted he isn’t too worried about his post-Bond career, as he claimed: ‘I’m pretty sure I can play just about anything. Yeah. I’m pretty sure I can, or at least I can make a f**king good fist of it.’
No Time To Die is co-written by Phoebe Waller-Bridge who was brought on board to sprinkle magic on the script for the 25th movie in the franchise based on Ian Fleming’s hit novels.
Daniel, who once said he would rather ‘slit my own wrists’ than play Bond again, said after filming for the new film finished that he was ‘really happy’ he signed up for a final time.
But, when asked if the film would be his last as the suave secret agent, he told German website Express: ‘Yes – someone else needs to have a go.’
‘It’s been, as they always are, incredibly hard work, but it’s a massive collaboration,’ he said.
Plot: The 25th film in the franchise finds Bond after he has left active service and is enjoying a tranquil life in Jamaica when his old friend Felix Leiter from the CIA turns up asking for help
‘One of the most moving things for me about finishing the film is that I have been working with some of the people for 30 years.’
He also suggested that working alongside colleagues was ‘what it was all about’, and so to sign up again was partly to ‘say goodbye’ to ‘those people’.
His comments starkly contrast with his response about signing up again when he was asked in 2015, shortly before the release of Spectre.
‘I’d rather break this glass and slash my wrists,’ he said during an interview with London’s Time Out magazine. ‘We’re done. All I want to do is move on.’
Role: Rami said of his character: ‘What I really wanted from Safin was to make him unsettling, thinking of himself as being heroic’
He added: ‘Safin is a formidable adversary. James Bond has to adapt to that’
The Layer Cake star added that if he were to sign up again, it would only be for the money. But Daniel did agree to star in the much-anticipated No Time To Die, for a reported fee of £18.4 million ($25million).
As well as Casino Royale, Skyfall in 2012 and Spectre, Daniel also appeared in Quantum of Solace in 2008.
Daniel’s last project saw him star as private detective Benoit Blanc in murder mystery Knives Out.
No Time To Die will open in the UK on November 12 and the US on November 20.
Release: No Time To Die will open in the UK on November 12 and the US on November 20 (pictured with Ana de Armas who plays Paloma)