Dave Bautista Responds to Daniel Craig After ‘007’ Star Broke His Nose in ‘Spectre’

Daniel Craig recently shared a story about accidentally breaking Dave Bautista’s nose during a fight scene in Spectre, and the former WWE champ has now responded. The 007 star was recently a guest on The Graham Norton Show, to promote No Time to Die, and he recalled punching Bautista — who played villain Mr. Hinx in the film — a little too hard.  “I broke his nose. It was a mistake,” Craig explained. “I threw this punch and hit him on the nose, and I heard this crack and ran away.”

In response to Craig’s story, Bautista took to Twitter to share his side of the story. “He did not run!!! He started screaming ‘F— I broke his nose!!’ And he did,” the actor tweeted. “And then he hugged me, apologized, we laughed, I changed clothes, shoved TP up my nose, and we continued to make one of the best fight scenes ever. Very proud of it. And I love me some DC [Dream Chaser].” Bautista later shared a selfie that he’d taken shortly after he “got cleaned up.”

No Time to Die marks Craig’s fifth and final outing as the British super-spy. He has portrayed the character for 15 years, starting with Casino Royale in 2006, and then following that up with Quantum of Solace (2008), Skyfall (2012), and Spectre (2015). At this time, there is no word on who will take on the role for future Bond films, but 007 franchise executive producer Barbara Broccoli recently stated, in a BBC Radio 4 interview, that she and other producers will begin their search in 2022.

Over the summer, PopCulture had a chance to speak exclusively with Casino Royale director Martin Campbell, and he shared his take on the future of the series. “It all changed with [Casino Royale] because it got much grittier and tougher,” Campbell said. “I had his feet on the ground.” The director went on to say that he misses “the humor” just “a little bit.” Those “old Bond elements, just a few of those I slightly miss,” he added. “Daniel’s done a wonderful job, but now Bond, I think has become much more serious and internalized. […] In a way that I do miss some of those moments, I have to say.”

When asked if he has any thoughts on who could take over the 007 role from Craig, Campbell confessed that he hasn’t “got a clue.” He explained that he’s been busy “doing other stuff,” and has not had a chance to really consider any actors who might be right for the role. “There’s people that have been in successful TV shows and this, that, and the next thing,” Campbell said, adding that “unless you’ve got your ear to the ground on that stuff” it’s hard to have any idea who may be in consideration. No Time to Die will open in U.S. theaters on Oct. 8, and will be available to stream on Paramount+ at a later date.