No Time To Die (2021) marks the end of the Daniel Craig-era of Bond films. But where can we go from here? If you've seen the latest film, you'll know what we're talking about. While little is known about 007's next outing, producer Barbara Broccoli has offered some insight into Bond's future...
Warning: There are major spoilers ahead for No Time To Die.
No Time To Die is the culmination of all previous four movies – Casino Royale (2007), Quantum of Solace (2008), Skyfall (2012), and Spectre (2015). And if you've seen the film, you'll know that Bond meets his maker at the end.
However, while Daniel Craig has hung up the tux, there are many other supporting characters who could return in a future film, whether it's intended to be part of the same continuity as his films, or a reboot.
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There's Madelaine Swann (Lea Seydoux), Mathilde Swann (Lisa-Dorah Sonnet), M/Mallory (Ralph Fiennes), Miss Moneypenny (Naomie Harris), Ben Whishaw (Q), and Lashana Lynch (Noomi/007).
But that's the easy part - who will play the next James Bond? Well, that's a question that precedes every Bond movie that follows the departure of a 007 actor. The truth is, while Idris Elba seems to be a fan-favorite, we don't know.
What we do know, however, is that Bond producer Barbara Broccoli recently talked about the future of James Bond. In an interview with Deadline at a private BFI event in central London, Broccoli said:
“Nobody’s in the running. We’re working out where to go with him, we’re talking that through. There isn’t a script, and we can’t come up with one until we decide how we’re going to approach the next film because, really, it’s a reinvention of Bond. We’re reinventing who he is and that takes time. I’d say that filming is at least two years away.”
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Exactly what the producer means by "reinvention" is unclear. Many Bond fans became irate with the idea that Lashana Lynch's character would ultimately replace Bond, but that doesn't appear to be the case.
In fact, Broccoli specifically refers to Bond as "he" and "him" in her statement. But there are still many ways in which the character of 007 could be reinterpreted without a gender-swap.
But how this might transpire remains to be seen. Broccoli also says that it will be at least two years before filming on the next Bond movie will even begin, so it's unlikely we'll even find out who the next Bond is anytime soon.
As for that "reinvention", perhaps we'll learn more in the coming months. Either way, it makes sense for the filmmakers to take a new direction. After all, as has always been the case with Bond over the past 60 years, it's time for a change.
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Many fans will likely scoff at the idea that Bond is due to be "reinvented", but the truth is that the character of James Bond has already undergone many changes, and we're not just talking about the actors.
Sure, he has been a man of many faces - Sean Connery, Roger Moore, George Lazenby, Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan, and Daniel Craig - but he's also undergone tonal transformations, from pure camp to raw grit.
As such, the problem isn’t necessarily recasting – it’s where we go from here creatively. We've seen camp Bond, we've seen gritty Bond, so where to next? What do the filmmakers have up their sleeves?
Well, it sounds like they're still working on that. Nevertheless, as promised in No Time To Die's post-credits teaser, "James Bond Will Return".
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No Time To Die stars Daniel Craig (James Bond), Lashana Lynch (Noomi), Rami Malek (Lyutsifer Safin), Jeffrey Wright (Felix Leiter), Ralph Fiennes (M), Naomie Harris (Moneypenny), Ben Whishaw (Q), Madeleine Swann (Lea Seydoux), Mathilde Swann (Lisa-Dorah Sonnet), and Ana de Armas (Paloma).