Daniel Craig, Rami Malek, and the cast of No Time to Die get lethal in EW's cover shoot

Unbreakable Bond

To honor Daniel Craig's final bow as the legendary 007, EW gathered the cast of No Time to Die — Craig, Léa Seydoux, Lashana Lynch, and Rami Malek — for a lethal February 2020 cover shoot.

The film, of course, was then delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but it's now finally arriving in theaters. Ahead of that long-awaited release and with the debut of EW's latest digital cover story, we're sharing this gallery again as part of EW's 25 Days of Bond series.

• Daniel Craig faces off with supervillain Rami Malek in No Time to Die, his explosive final James Bond film

Malek plays the movie's villain, Safin. Much of his plotline is being kept under wraps, but we know he lures Craig's Bond to Cuba and that he has faced what Malek calls "immense challenges in his life."

Lashana Lynch, of Captain Marvel fame, plays double-0 agent Nomi. Theories abound over whether she'll be replacing Craig's 007, but No Time to Die's producers warned fans not to jump to any conclusions.

Léa Seydoux is back as French psychologist Madeleine Swann. At the beginning of No Time to Die, she's living peacefully in Jamaica with a retired Bond, but we all know that nothing lasts forever in 007 world.

"S--- happens! Everything falls apart," jokes Seydoux of her character's storyline with Craig.

• Agents of Change: The women of Bond are on a mission in No Time to Die

Craig's appearance in No Time to Die almost didn't happen. "I finished that movie with a broken leg," the actor tells EW. "I had to question myself: Was I physically capable of doing [another one] or did I want to do another one? Because that phone call to your wife saying 'I've broken my leg' is not pleasant."

"He felt at the end of the last movie he'd kind of done it," explains producer Barbara Broccoli. "I said to him, 'I don't think you have — I think there's still more of the story of your Bond to tell.' Fortunately, he came around to agree with that."

Fleabag creator Phoebe Waller-Bridge was brought on to help with the script, much to Malek's delight. "She had quite an impact on what I was doing," says the Bohemian Rhapsody star, 40. "I'd have long phone conversations with her, giving her context as to what we were essentially looking for in the scenes, and she would turn things over incredibly quickly. We know her as a very witty and funny writer, but she's got a knack for drama and tension as well."

After numerous delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic, No Time to Die will finally be released Oct. 8.

Lynch admits the last year and a half has been a frustrating period. "It's been like having a really good friend that you really want to introduce to the rest of your friends," says the actress in EW's digital cover story. "And your friends are like, 'So when are we going to meet them?' 'I don't know, but maybe at some point?'"

Seydoux explains that the Madeline Swann audiences will see in No Time to Die is more "developed" than the character introduced in Spectre. "We get to understand her more," she says. "She's not sexualized and objectified. She has become a more interesting and complex character, and I think that was needed; it was really needed."

The No Time to Die cast got to reunite at the film's world premiere at London's Royal Albert Hall. Ahead of that starry event, Seydoux was glad they'd get to celebrate the film together in person rather than virtually, as she had feared would be the case. "I'm happy that we got the chance to be all together for the premiere because it's such a big event," she says. "Also, it's Daniel's last film, so it will be a very emotional moment for him and for all of us."

No Time to Die was featured on the cover of Entertainment Weekly's February 2020 issue, available to order here. Don't forget to subscribe for more exclusive interviews and photos, only in EW.