James Bond has arrived! Daniel Craig, 52, just reprised his iconic 007 agent for this epic sketch on Saturday Night Live and we are living for it. In a scene straight out of Casino Royale, our favorite British spy rolls into — you guessed it, a casino — where he meets instantaneously meets seductive brunette. Does only James Bond have this kind of luck with the ladies?! After a flirty exchange and a casual toss of the dice, the dealer yells, “seven!” A surprised Bond, still enamored with his latest love interest, is delightedly surprised! Rolling again, just as he’s explaining that he’s “double O” — the dealer once again yells, “Seven!” James can’t even believe what’s happening (neither can we) as he drops his usual suave demeanor and says that his “heart is beating so fast.”
As a bartender makes his way over, he begins ordering his usual drink — a martini, shaken not stirred — deciding to switch things up with a vodka and red bull in a pint glass. Um, a little less classy but we guess different moods call for different drinks. “Just call me Simba, because I am the king of the jungle!” he then yells, referencing the iconic Lion King. Announcing that he’s buzzed to his seductive lady and the crowd, the drama suddenly returns as she declares the dealer a Spectre agent! Always one to act quick, Bond quickly produces his gun and shoots him right in the heart.
Earlier in the opening monologue, Daniel opened up about the latest film No Time To Die (which features a theme song of the same name by Billie Eilish). Once again confirming the film — which is the 25th in the franchise — will be his last, he believe it’s going to be one of the best! “We’ve got Phoebe Waller-Bridge,” he continued, touting the project. “There is this one scene that’s my favorite and the producers have been kind of enough to let you take a look,” he teased, before going into the hilarious sketch in the casino!
Daniel last made an appearance on SNL in Oct. 2012, ahead of the release of Casino Royale. The actor was front-and-center in a hilarious sketch about Bond Girls, which just happened to coincide with the release of a 50th anniversary box set. Nasim Pedra as “Lea Michele” was opposite of Daniel in the commercial spoof for the fictional film “Hippopotopussy” which showed a less than smooth version of our favorite 007 agent. Agitated by Lea’s singing, romance definitely wasn’t in the air as he quickly figured out a way to dismiss her. Kate McKinnon, however, totally owned the sketch as she stripped down to a pink bikini with an entire outfit on underneath! These aren’t quite the Bond movies we remember, but hey, we’re open to a new interpretation!
The Bond franchise has been making headlines lately since the release of No Time To Die has been pushed due to the Coronavirus. The deadly virus — which has claimed the lives of 11 in the U.S. — is believed to have a global impact on movie theatre attendance. No Time To Die will now be released in Nov. 2020, rather than on April 10.”After careful consideration and thorough evaluation of the global theatrical marketplace, the release of ‘No Time To Die’ will be postponed until November 2020,” the No Time To Die Twitter account posted on Wednesday, Feb. 26. After the United States, China is the second largest film market globally — and the country most affected by the virus — which had heavy influence on the studio’s decision.