Daniel Craig Bond Movies: In Order, Ranked & Full List

Casino Royale still tops most Bond rankings fifteen years after its release. Daniel Craig’s debut didn’t just introduce a new actor in the role — it flipped the formula entirely, trading martini-waving charm for something rawer and more reckless.

Total Films: 5 · First Film: Casino Royale (2006) · Last Film: No Time to Die (2021) · Span: 2006–2021

The Craig era distilled into core facts.

What is the order of Daniel Craig James Bond movies?

Daniel Craig portrayed James Bond in five films released between 2006 and 2021, marking the longest consecutive tenure in the Eon series. Casino Royale (2006) served as the franchise reboot, introducing audiences to a younger, more vulnerable Bond. The films span fifteen years, with Craig signed for an initial four films in 2005 before returning for a fifth.

Casino Royale (2006)

Released November 17, 2006, Casino Royale rebooted the series from scratch, ignoring the events of earlier films. The film introduced Mads Mikkelsen as Le Chiffre, a villain many fans consider the best in the Craig era. Wikipedia describes Craig’s Bond as “a caustic, haunted, intense reinvention of 007 — a darker, more realistic tone” than his predecessors.

Quantum of Solace (2008)

The direct sequel to Casino Royale, Quantum of Solace picked up just minutes after the first film ended. Directed by Marc Forster, it remains the most action-heavy entry in Craig’s run. Rotten Tomatoes notes the film suffered from a compressed production schedule, which shows in the tighter, less polished narrative.

Skyfall (2012)

Released November 9, 2012, Skyfall brought Sam Mendes behind the camera for the first time. At 143 minutes, it remains the longest Craig Bond film. Javier Bardem starred as Raoul Silva, delivering what many consider the era’s most memorable villain performance. The film grossed over $1 billion worldwide.

Spectre (2015)

Spectre marked Christoph Waltz’s debut as Ernst Stavro Blofeld, reconnecting the series to its classic villain lineage. The global chase across Rome, Austria, and Morocco offered spectacle, though critics noted the plotting felt familiar. The film also introduced a controversial shared universe backstory that later films partially walked back.

No Time to Die (2021)

Delayed to 2021 due to the pandemic, No Time to Die served as Craig’s emotional farewell. For the first time in the Eon series, Bond does not survive the ending. The No Time to Die cast delivered what many consider a fitting conclusion to the Craig era. Rotten Tomatoes critics consensus states it “concludes Daniel Craig’s franchise tenure in satisfying style.”

How many Bond films did Daniel Craig make?

Daniel Craig completed five Bond films — the highest count of any actor in the role, tied only with Sean Connery if you count his non-Eon work. Craig signed for four films initially in 2005, with Casino Royale, Quantum of Solace, Skyfall, and Spectre all completing the original contract. He later returned for one final film, No Time to Die, after publicly stating he was ready to quit before production began.

The five films in order: Casino Royale (2006), Quantum of Solace (2008), Skyfall (2012), Spectre (2015), No Time to Die (2021). Wikipedia verifies this filmography as definitive.

Breakdown of his five-film tenure

• Casino Royale (2006) — Reboot origin, Craig’s debut
• Quantum of Solace (2008) — Direct sequel, shortest runtime
• Skyfall (2012) — Mendes debut, highest grossing
• Spectre (2015) — Blofeld return, shared backstory
• No Time to Die (2021) — Craig’s finale, Bond dies

The implication: Craig’s tenure survived production turmoil, studio skepticism, and his own public wavering about returning. That he delivered five films at all is remarkable given the friction around his first casting.

What is considered Daniel Craig’s best Bond film?

The answer depends heavily on whose rankings you’re reading. Three major sources — Collider, James Bond Dossier, and Unafraid Show — produce strikingly different top picks. Casino Royale appears at #1 in two out of three lists, while Skyfall dominates one ranking entirely.

Collider ranks: 1. Casino Royale, 2. Skyfall, 3. No Time to Die, 4. Spectre, 5. Quantum of Solace. James Bond Dossier offers the most contrarian view: 1. Casino Royale, 2. Spectre, 3. Quantum of Solace, 4. No Time to Die, 5. Skyfall. Unafraid Show, meanwhile, places Skyfall first with the declaration that “there’s only one right answer for Craig’s best Bond film and it’s Skyfall.”

Critic and fan favorites

Rotten Tomatoes offers a useful baseline: Casino Royale holds 94% positive reviews, the highest in the Craig era. No Time to Die sits at 83%, respectable but lower. These aggregate scores reflect critical consensus but miss the passionate fan debates that play out on Reddit and fan forums.

Skyfall and Casino Royale top rankings

The pattern across sources is clear: Casino Royale and Skyfall form the top tier in virtually every ranking. The gap between them narrows or widens depending on whether the source weights narrative innovation (favoring Casino Royale) or technical polish and action (favoring Skyfall). The remaining three films — Quantum of Solace, Spectre, and No Time to Die — fight for third through fifth depending on the list.

Why did Daniel Craig quit 007?

Daniel Craig publicly stated he was ready to quit Bond before No Time to Die entered production. The admission came during interviews promoting Spectre, when he told reporters he would rather “slit my wrists” than return to the role. He later clarified the comment but confirmed the ambivalence was real.

The reasons behind Craig’s reluctance were multiple: the physical toll of the role, the intensity of media scrutiny, and reportedly fractious relationships with studio executives over pay and creative direction. After Casino Royale’s initial backlash toward his casting, Craig had already weathered one of the most hostile receptions any actor had faced taking on the role.

Reasons for leaving after No Time to Die

No Time to Die marked Craig’s formal exit from the role. At 54 when the film released, he had become the longest consecutively tenured Bond actor in Eon history. His physical conditioning demands had intensified across five films, and the emotional weight of the final story — Bond dying to save the world — suggested a fitting endpoint.

Pre-No Time to Die readiness to quit

The timeline matters here. Craig expressed reluctance after Spectre (2015), but producers convinced him to return for one final film. The pandemic delay gave him additional time to reconsider, yet he ultimately delivered what many consider his best performance. The contrast between his stated fatigue and the emotional depth of his final turn remains one of the more interesting stories behind the Craig era.

What is the lowest rated Bond film?

Quantum of Solace (2008) consistently ranks last in Craig’s filmography across multiple sources. Collider places it fifth out of five, and Unafraid Show ranks it fourth out of four (excluding No Time to Die, which hadn’t released yet). James Bond Dossier places it third, but even there it doesn’t approach the top tier.

The criticisms of Quantum of Solace are well-documented: the compressed production following the 2007–2008 Writers Guild strike meant the script was thin, the action sequences lacked the clarity of Casino Royale’s set pieces, and the franchise’s pivot to a more grounded tone occasionally slipped into tedium.

Rankings from Daniel Craig era

Here’s how the three main ranking sources break down:

The pattern: Quantum of Solace lands at or near the bottom in every ranking, making it the outlier in Craig’s otherwise celebrated run.

Comparison across sources

Three rankings, three different top films. The disagreement reveals something important about how we evaluate Bond movies: critics tend to favor Casino Royale for its narrative boldness, while fans often gravitate toward Skyfall for its spectacle and emotional payoff. No single ranking is “correct” because the criteria themselves are subjective.

What unites all three lists: Quantum of Solace lands at or near the bottom in every ranking. Whether as a direct sequel or simply as the least distinctive entry, it remains the outlier in Craig’s otherwise celebrated run.

The Craig era timeline

The Craig tenure unfolded across fifteen years, with production windows and release schedules reflecting both studio planning and external disruptions.

• October 2005: Daniel Craig cast as Bond
• November 17, 2006: Casino Royale releases to critical acclaim
• 2008: Quantum of Solace — compressed production, thinner script
• November 9, 2012: Skyfall — Mendes era begins, billion-dollar gross
• 2015: Spectre — Blofeld returns, shared backstory introduced
• 2021: No Time to Die — pandemic delay, Craig’s final film

The pattern: Craig’s era improved dramatically after the stumble of Quantum of Solace. Skyfall marked the point where the franchise fully embraced its new identity, and subsequent films built on that foundation rather than retreating to the old formula.

Confirmed facts vs. fan debates

Some things are settled: Craig starred in exactly five Bond films, released in chronological order from Casino Royale to No Time to Die. The Rotten Tomatoes scores are verifiable facts. The timeline from casting in October 2005 through final release in 2021 is documented across multiple sources.

It isn’t the sleekest or most daring 007 adventure, but No Time to Die concludes Daniel Craig’s franchise tenure in satisfying style.

— Rotten Tomatoes Critics Consensus

Casino Royale was released in 2006, it marked a turning point for the Bond series.

— James Bond Dossier

Related reading: Steve Martin movies and TV shows

While this list ranks Daniel Craig’s five Bond films from Casino Royale onward, the complete 4K viewing guide details optimal 4K viewing setups for fans.

Frequently asked questions

For viewers deciding where to start, the choice is clear: begin with Casino Royale, the film that redefined what a Bond movie could be. Everything that followed built on its foundation — for better or worse.