James Bond himself, Daniel Craig, took over hosting duties for this week’s Saturday Night Live and participated in the inevitable No Time to Die sketch. Craig previously hosted the long-running comedy show back in 2012, and he finally made his return during a busy time in his career. This year, Craig is set to wrap up his tenure as James Bond with No Time to Die, his fifth Bond film. At the end of last year, Craig won over audiences as Detective Benoit Blanc in Rian Johnson’s surprise hit Knives Out. Craig even scored a Golden Globe nomination for the role, making this the perfect time for him to appear on SNL.
Well, almost perfect. Last week it was announced that No Time to Die has been pushed back to November due to the coronavirus outbreak. The film was initially set to premiere in April, but the downturn in global moviegoing attendance as a result of the virus led MGM, Universal, and No Time to Die’s producers to move the film back. Despite the dramatic shift in release dates, Craig still made his SNL appearance as scheduled, and there were plenty of Bond references to be found.
Teased as a sneak peek at No Time to Die, one SNL sketch featured Craig as the iconic super spy in familiar territory: A casino. He approaches the craps table and engages in a twisty, heated conversation with Chloe Fineman’s character, who looks to be representing Ana de Armas’ No Time to Die character Paloma. While questioning her about the whereabouts of her boss, Bond rolls the dice… and wins. That’s when the sketch takes off and gets truly funny. You can check it out below:
Craig has previously spoken out about his desire to leave Bond behind, yet his willingness to poke fun at the role indicates he might still hold some fondness for it. Of course, having Craig on SNL without a James Bond sketch would have been surprising, especially since that’s technically the movie he was there to promote.
Thanks to roles like Blanc in Knives Out, Craig has shown he has real comedic chops, and it’s fun seeing him let loose on a show like SNL. What’s most amusing about the No Time to Die sketch is that James Bond is normally such a serious character. This time around, as he wins more and more at the craps table, Craig gets to have some fun with 007 as he gets more enthusiastic and wild. Expect this sketch to pop up a lot come November when No Time to Die finally makes its way out into the world.
More: Why No Time To Die’s Release Delay Is So Long
Source: Saturday Night Live
- Bond 25 Release Date: 2021-10-08
