Daniel Craigand theBond 25team could surely use a bit of a pep talk fromTom Cruiseand theMission: Impossible – Falloutteam right about now. TheBond 25production has confirmed that Craig did indeed sustain an injury to his ankle on set, and as a result will be undergoing minor surgery. The injury happened while filming in Jamaica—the production’s first stop on a tour to various countries that will be used as filming locations in the movie.
Luckily, the officialBondTwitter account says the film’s release date will remain unchanged, as production will continue while Craig is rehabilitating for two weeks after surgery. DirectorCary Joji Fukunagawill likely move on to scenes not involving Craig, or simply shoot wide shots with Craig’s stunt double and fill in the closeups later on. Indeed, this unfortunate accident isn’t an uncommon occurrence.Harrison Fordfamously hurt his back while filmingIndiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, and as a result most of the wide shots during the big action sequence in the mines feature Ford’s stunt double, while theStar Warsactor was busy recuperating back in Los Angeles. Then, of course, production onStar Wars: The Force Awakenswas shut down after a door on the Millennium Falcon set crushed Ford’s ankle.
In the case of the aforementionedMission: Impossible – Fallout, Cruise completely broke his ankle, which necessitated a complete shutdown of production for seven weeks. Writer/directorChristopher McQuarrieand Cruise rallied their crew, and they still met their planned release date despite the severe delay.
It doesn’t sound as though Craig’s injury is near as severe, butBond 25has been faced with its own difficulties—namely the script. If you’ll recall, the film originally hadDanny Boyledirecting from a script byJohn Hodge, but Boyle and Hodge departed the film last August over creative differences. Producers then reverted to a different screenplay written byBondveteransRobert WadeandNeal Purvis, then early this year known script doctorScott Z. Burnscame into perform a significant rewrite, and then weeks before filming beganFleabagcreatorPhoebe Waller-Bridgewas brought on to give the script a polish of her own. The script likely remains in a state of flux, but that doesn’t necessarily mean the film itself will be a disaster (see:Iron Man,Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation, etc.).
As for Craig, we wish him a speedy recovery.Bond 25also starsRami Malek,Ana de Armas,Naomie Harris,Ralph Fiennes,Jeffrey Wright,Lea Seydoux,Ben Whishaw,Lashana Lynch,Roy Kinnear, andBill Magnussenand opens in theaters on July 15, 2025. In addition to Jamaica, filming will take place in Italy, Norway, and London.
