Bond fans will have to bite the bullet and bide their time for an announcement on who the next James Bond will be, according to 007 franchise producer Barbara Broccoli.
In a recent interview with The Guardian, Broccoli revealed that executives “haven’t even begun” to map out the next chapter of the long-running franchise, which includes modernizing the series.
She added that there is a “big, big road ahead” before the James Bond character is “reinvented for the next chapter” and shared that the team was aware that the next incarnation of 007 will have to reflect how the world has changed in the 20 years since Daniel Craig took on the role.
The last film, No Time to Die, saw Craig bow out two years ago. The British actor’s first stint in the tuxedo of the famous fictional spy was in 2006 in the franchise reinvention Casino Royale. It was followed by Quantum of Solace (2008), Skyfall (2012), Spectre (2015) and No Time To Die (2021).
A number of actors have been rumoured as Craig’s successor, including Aaron Taylor Johnson, Regé-Jean Page and Damson Idris.
Broccoli has remained tight-lipped on his successor, and has praised what Craig brought to the character.
“Daniel gave us the ability to mine the emotional life of the character … and also the world was ready for it,” Broccoli said, adding that she wanted, with Craig, to “focus on what a 21st-century hero would look like.”
It’s clear to Broccoli, who helms the Bond films alongside her half-brother, Michael G Wilson, that James Bond exists as a product of the times.
“I go back to ‘GoldenEye’ when everyone was saying, ‘The cold war is over, the wall is over, Bond is dead, no need for Bond, the whole world’s at peace and now there’s no villains’ – and boy was that wrong!”
The Bond franchise was sold to Amazon as part of the MGM catalogue in 2021, but amidst rumours that there would be Bond TV spin-offs, Broccoli emphasised any future outings for Bond would remain on the big screen.
She said: “We make the Bond movies for the big theatrical screen and everything about the Bond movies is for audiences to see around the world on that format, so we’ve not wanted to do television.”
It might be a while until a new Bond film appears in theatres, but audiences can stream the Amazon series 007: Road to a Million next month. It will be the first appearance of the James Bond brand in unscripted TV. Hosted by Succession star Brian Cox, this global adventure series will follow nine pairs of contestants, enduring physical and psychological challenges in Bond-inspired locations, competing to win a £1 million (€1.1 million) prize.
Asked if they’re planning other James Bond spin-offs, Broccoli said: “Our focus is making the feature films. When we get going on a Bond movie it takes our full attention for three or four years so that’s our focus.”
In September, there were rumours that Christopher Nolan (The Dark Knight trilogy, Inception, Oppenheimer) was in talks to direct the next Bond film. The Hollywood strikes have stalled any negotiations, and while Nolan would be a fan favourite to step in as director, it remains to be seen whether Broccoli and Wilson would relinquish the creative control the director demands for his project. That said, Nolan has previously stated it would be “an amazing privilege” to direct a James Bond film.
Watch this space.
