In fifty years of James Bond movies, this is only the second one in which Bond suffers a gunshot wound. He was also shot in Thunderball (1965) during the Junkanoo chase.
The porcelain bulldog on M's desk (which she later gives to Bond) is draped in the Union Jack. These bulldog figurines were created by Royal Doulton during World War II to represent patriotism. In Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011), Control (Sir John Hurt), the head of MI6, has two Royal Doulton bulldogs sitting on his desk.
The role of Kincade (Albert Finney) was originally written with Sir Sean Connery in mind. Producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson originally wanted Connery to come out of retirement and make a surprise cameo. Director Sir Sam Mendes told "The Huffington Post", "There was a definite discussion about (Connery playing Kincade), way, way early on. But I think that's problematic. Because, to me, it becomes too... it would take you out of the movie. Connery is Bond, and he's not going to come back as another character. It's like, he's been there. So, it was a very brief flirtation with that thought, but it was never going to happen, because I thought it would distract."
Final of twenty-three James Bond movies for trumpet player Derek Watkins, who had worked in the music department as a trumpeter on every James Bond movie since he was 17 years old, when he worked on Dr. No (1962). Watkins died in 2013, four months after the release of this movie.
Michael G. Wilson: Producer Michael G. Wilson has been doing regular cameos in the official James Bond franchise since The Spy Who Loved Me (1977), with his first being in Goldfinger (1964). Wilson's cameo appearance in this movie was mostly cut out, but there is one shot of him still in the movie. The sequence that got cut, was a funeral procession of hearses, Wilson's cameo was as a pall bearer. Wilson is still seen in the movie at a distance through a doorway, during the sequence where Dame Judi Dench is standing next to the MI6 coffins covered with Union Jack flags.
Nicky Hayden: Uncredited, the professional motorcycle racer as a motorcycle rider during the opening chase sequence.
Gregg Wilson: The associate producer appears next to Bond wearing a black shirt at the drinking game early in the film.