Next James Bond 007 film, Digi Mart USA News: When a bartender asked James Bond in 2006’s Casino Royale whether he’d like his vodka martini shaken or stirred, the irritated spy replied: “Do I look like I give a damn?” Such throwaway lines signaled to audiences that a new era for 007 had begun, and that the film series launched in 1962 was being overhauled with the arrival of Daniel Craig.
Over the next few films, producers struck a balance between nodding to the past and moving away from some of the cheesier elements of the series, no longer sticking rigidly to all of the tradition and tropes of Bond. “Were you expecting an exploding pen?” Ben Whishaw’s Q later asked the secret service agent in Skyfall.
“We don’t really go in for that anymore.”
Two decades after Craig’s debut, the series is about to be rebooted once again, with a new actor and new creative team. Fans are waiting to see what shape the next era will take.
Here is what is known so far.
After years of speculation, the wheels are firmly in motion, and the new James Bond actor is expected to be announced in November or December. Speaking in August, producer Amy Pascal told Deadline: “I would say the end of the year is a good bet.
We are being really, really methodical.”
The final screen tests reportedly took place in late October, so, unless something unexpected happens, producers should not take much longer to make their decision and for the actor to sign the contract. After that, it is a matter of how the announcement will be made.
In an earlier era, Bond actors were revealed with a traditional photo call or press conference. But now that the franchise is owned by Amazon MGM, some expect the company to make the announcement via its own Prime Video streaming service.
A handful of actors are thought to have reached the final screen tests to take on Britain’s biggest film role. Craig was a surprise choice in 2005, so a wildcard candidate whose name has not yet been widely reported should not be ruled out.
The film is expected to go into production in 2027, before its release in 2028. No exact dates have been announced.
Film schedules can be notoriously fluid, but development is clearly well under way, with the director and writer already in place. It will be the 26th film in the official series, but the title has not yet been confirmed.
The movie will be directed by Denis Villeneuve, known for Prisoners, Sicario, Arrival, Blade Runner 2049 and the recent Dune trilogy starring Timothée Chalamet. “Some of my earliest movie-going memories are connected to 007,” the French-Canadian director said last year.
“I grew up watching James Bond films with my father, ever since Dr. No with Sean Connery.
I’m a die-hard Bond fan. To me, he’s sacred territory.”
He added: “I intend to honour the tradition and open the path for many new missions to come. This is a massive responsibility, but also incredibly exciting for me and a huge honour.”
Bond 26 will be written by Steven Knight, known for TV series such as Peaky Blinders and House of Guinness, and films including Burnt, Spencer, Locke and The Girl in the Spider’s Web. Knight has said it had always been on his “bucket list” to write a Bond film, adding that he felt he was “doing my duty for King and country” by joining the franchise.
Knight told the BBC he planned to “write the character, not the actor,” adding: “The thing with Bond is it’s its own universe and franchise. So there are certain rules.
Obviously you have to move it along, but I love where it sits. I love that it’s British.
I love that it’s not DC or Marvel… So I feel a responsibility to the text.”
Some dates in the franchise overlap. Connery returned to the lead role for 1971’s Diamonds Are Forever, after Lazenby took his place for 1969’s On Her Majesty’s Secret Service.
Connery also later appeared in 1983’s Never Say Never Again, a Bond film produced by a different studio and not part of the official series. Excluding films outside the official series, there have been 25 Bond films in total.
With the change in ownership and a new creative team now in place, the new Bond film is likely to make a fresh start. It would be difficult to continue the story chronologically given the ending of 2021’s No Time To Die, but producers still have many options.
A different version of James Bond, existing in a different universe, could be readily accepted by audiences used to major franchises restarting in a different world or timeline.
Bond 26 could even be set in a significantly earlier era, an idea that gained popularity after Tony Gilroy revealed that he and fellow director Steven Soderbergh had previously pitched a 1960s version of Bond. Separately, actor Ralph Fiennes recently said he had once been in talks to play Bond and had suggested producers make a “black and white and very sort of film noir-y” version set in the 1950s.
Neither idea materialised, but the suggestion went down well with some fans, who noted a period piece would help make the film truer to Ian Fleming’s original character and books.
Exactly what shape the next film takes will become clear at a later stage. For now, fans are hoping the announcement of the next actor to play 007 arrives soon.
