Daniel Craig: fictional spy, real-life Royal Navy officer. Ahead of the actor's fifth and final performance as James Bond in No Time to Die arriving in theaters, Craig has been made an honorary Commander in the British Royal Navy, and better yet, there are photos of him suited up in uniform. Perhaps not so coincidentally, Craig's new rank is the same that his character 007 holds in the James Bond movies.

"I am truly privileged and honoured to be appointed the rank of Honorary Commander in the senior service," Daniel Craig said in a statement. As an honorary naval officer, Craig will serve as a public ambassador for the British armed forces. An additional statement from the official James Bond team notes that "Commander Craig is keen to support personnel with the Royal Navy, with a particular interest in service families."

"I am delighted to welcome honorary Commander Daniel Craig to the Royal Navy," noted First Sea Lord Admiral Sir Tony Radakin. "Our honorary officers act as ambassadors and advocates for the Service, sharing their time and expertise to spread the message about what our global, modern, and ready Royal Navy is doing around the world."

Comparing Bond's fictional missions to the Royal Navy's real-life missions, Radakin adds: "Daniel Craig is well known for being Commander Bond for the last 15 years - a Naval officer who keeps Britain safe through missions across the globe. That's what the real Royal Navy does every day, using technology and skill the same way as Bond himself. I look forward to him getting to see more of our sailors and marines over the coming months and years."

Cary Joji Fukunaga directed No Time to Die, which was co-written with Neal Purvis, Robert Wade, and Phoebe Waller-Bridge. Along with Daniel Craig, the movie stars Rami Malek, Léa Seydoux, Ben Whishaw, Naomie Harris, Jeffrey Wright, Christoph Waltz, Rory Kinnear, Ralph Fiennes, Lashana Lynch, Ana de Armas, Dali Benssalah, Billy Magnussen, and David Dencik.

This is the final performance of James Bond that we will ever see from Daniel Craig. Yes, Craig did say in 2015 that he would rather harm himself than play Bond again, but he has since come to regret that comment. In a set video from No Time to Die, Craig delivers a heartfelt speech to the fellow cast and crew, insisting that he has loved "every second" he has gotten to play 007 throughout all five of his movies.

"If [Spectre] had been it, the world would have carried on as normal, and I would have been absolutely fine," Craig said of leaving the role behind, via Empire. "But somehow it felt like we needed to finish something off. If I'd left it at Spectre, something at the back of my head would have been going, 'I wish I'd done one more.' I always had a kind of secret idea about the whole lot in my head, and where I wanted to take it. And Spectre wasn't that. But [No Time to Die] feels like it is."

No Time to Die will hold its world premiere in London on the 28th of September. A release in United States theaters will follow on Oct. 8. It's been a long time coming after many significant delays, but the release dates are final this time. This news comes to us from Deadline.

https://www.navytimes.com/off-duty/military-culture/2021/09/23/commander-craig-007-star-made-honorary-royal-navy-officer/