No Time to Die was supposed to be one of 2020’s biggest movies. It was meant to be Daniel Craig’s swan song as agent 007, its projected billion dollar earnings for MGM were set to make the year for the studio and had things gone as planned there would probably be a new face tied to the name James Bond.
Well, fate and COVID-19 won’t be letting the MGM lion roar anytime soon, so with almost 5 months to go until No Time to Die has a chance of gracing movie theaters all over the world, it’s probably a good idea to line up a team of other spies that may take 007’s place for the time being.
Luckily, given Ian Fleming’s 007 practically made the whole genre, so it’s easy to find good (and not so good) works of art that can remind everyone of what it’s like to be a MI6 agent with a license to kill.
Mission: Impossible - Fallout (2018)
Tom Cruise is currently filming Mission: Impossible 7 at 58 years old, the same age Roger Moore was back in 1985 when A View To Kill came out and he was ridiculed for being too old to play Bond. The times they are a-changin’.
Fallout is arguably where the series hit its peak with action sequences almost unrivaled by any other action movie, a better plot and villain than its predecessors, there’s never a dull moment in it. Plus, it features Henry Cavill, a front-runner to become the next 007, so it’s as close as it gets to a modern Bond film.
Atomic Blonde (2017)
Never forget women can also go undercover to kick some serious butt, in fact without spoiling the plot it’s fair to argue that Charlize Theron’s Lorraine outdoes her male peers to great effect in both aspects. This Atomic Blonde brings some spectacularly choreographed fight scenes and the movie’s time setting during the latter stages of the cold war makes for an even better soundtrack with carefully curated hits from the 80’s.
Layer Cake (2004)
Some might not miss 007 as much as they miss Craig's portrayal of the character, and for those Layer Cake is the perfect pick. Sure, it's not a spy movie and as Craig's unnamed protagonist XXXX (yes that's 4 Xs, not XXX) opening dialogue makes clear, he's "a businessman, not a gangster", despite how much this deep dive into the British crime underworld might bring memories of Goodfellas or Scarface. The movie stands on its own two feet as fantastic piece of work, but the reason why Bond fans should watch it is because Craig's stellar performance in Layer Cake was a huge part of what landed him the role of 007, stone cold gaze and all.
OSS 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies (2008)
Mike Myers’ Austin Powers saga is the most well-known James Bond parody, but it’s obviously not the only one. Agent OSS 117 is based on the serious novels by French writer Jean Bruce, who even got started in the genre before Fleming, in a clear case of he who laughs last, laughs best.
What makes Cairo, Nest of Spies and its sequel Lost in Rio special is their approach to filmmaking as it copies the aesthetic elements of old 007 movies in the 21st century; everything from the fonts, simple camera work and lack of modern special effects, all to accomplish a hilarious end product. Fun fact: look out for Richard Sammel, a familiar Nazi face from Inglorious Basterds, who also plays Adolph Gettler in Casino Royale, the man responsible for Vesper’s death.
The Suspect (2013)
Another left field pick here, nevertheless thanks to Parasite’s Oscar win and cult classics like Oldboy, South Korea has slowly been getting more recognition for having a competitive movie industry to go along with BTS and the rest of their K-Pop sensations. Much in the same vein as Bond movies used to depict their villains as products of the cold war, The Suspect’s plot, like many South Korean films, is a story of a special forces agent defection from South to North, wrapped in a layer of personal vengeance, car chases and very tight action sequences that give its Western counterparts a run for their money.
The Bourne Trilogy
The Bourne Identity simply rocked 007’s world in 2002 when Pierce Brosnan’s Bond was taking a lot of flak for Tomorrow Never Dies and The World is Not Enough. While GoldenEye marked the franchise’s transition to being more action-based than older entries, Jason Bourne did more to pave the way for Craig’s 007 than the forgettable Die Another Day, producing three of the best spy films anyone can go watch right now, all fully packed with everything a Bond fan could ask for.
Goldfinger (1964)
If all else fails, then sometimes it’s better to just go back to the basics and what better way to do it than by looking back at Sean Connery in one of his best outings as Bond. Goldfinger has over the top villains in the eponymous Auric Goldfinger and everyone’s GoldenEye 64 nightmare, Oddjob; the best poorly named Bond girl in Pussy Galore; and iconic scenes like the one where Connery almost gets sliced in half by a laser.
Already seen Goldfinger? Then there are plenty of other great 007 movies in store: go for a change of vibes in Timothy Dalton’s very different License to Kill; watch Bond fall for a young Diana Rigg’s classic beauty in On Her Majesty’ Secret Service; enjoy Roald Dahl’s signature writing in You Only Live Twice; or simply sit back in the comfort of Judy Dench’s arms in Skyfall. Unlike most of 2020’s delayed blockbusters, James Bond has 26 movies bearing his name, so there’s plenty to do until April 2021.