He’s driven an invisible car, been to space, battled baddies in hollow-out volcanoes, and saved the world on dozens of occasions over the past 60+ years, but our hunger for more James Bond never seems to diminish.

First brought to life in a series of novels by Ian Fleming, based on his own experiences in World War 2, James Bond (codenamed 007) first appeared in 

 in 1953. And he was a right brutal, misogynistic bastard.

Sean Connery’s big-screen portrayal – beginning with 

 in 1962 and running until the ‘unofficial’ 

 in 1983 – softened things only slightly. Still, in his globe-trotting, baddy-beating, beauty-bedding adventures, Bond captured our hearts. And, over the course of six decades and as many ‘official’ actors, Bond has managed to somewhat change with the times, cumulating in Daniel Craig’s 2021 swansong, 

With Bond co-owner MGM having been acquired by Amazon in 2022, there have naturally been delays in casting Bond’s 7th instalment, set to debut in his 26th film. But, as always, James Bond will return. Just maybe not any time soon. ”I think these movies reflect the time they are in, and there’s a big, big road ahead reinventing it for the next chapter and we haven’t even begun with that,” co-producer Barbara Broccoli recently told the Guardian (https://www.theguardian.com/film/2023/oct/21/work-to-reinvent-james-bond-for-post-craig-era-hasnt-begun-yet-says-producer).

So, what do we actually know about the future of Britain’s most iconic export?

This is, of course, the main question. The list of actors who have played Bond is elite, with each actor bringing a different take to the role, be that Roger Moore’s humour, or Timothy Dalton’s grimness. For most actors, including Connery and Daniel Craig, the role catapulted their careers into the stratosphere, with Craig once claiming he’d rather “slit my wrists” than do another Bond film. So, for producers and actors alike, casting the right actor in the role is not to be taken lightly.

Producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G Wilson have some requirements."We’ve tried looking at younger people in the past. But trying to visualise it doesn’t work. Remember, Bond’s already a veteran. He’s had some experience,” Wilson told Deadline (https://deadline.com/2022/10/james-bond-producer-michael-g-wilson-from-russia-with-love-bedroom-scene-used-auditions-1235132677/). "He’s a person who has been through the wars, so to speak. He’s probably been in the SAS or something. He isn’t some kid out of high school that you can bring in and start off. That’s why it works for a 30-something.”

Martin Campbell (https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/james-bond-casino-royale-daniel-craig-b2414038.html), who helped reinvent Bond for Pierce Brosnan and Daniel Craig’s debuts in 

 has been vocal about the need for Bond to be in his early 30s, pointing out that producers will want the actor to sign on for the next 10-15 years.

Idris Elba, Tom Hardy, Tom Hiddleston, James Norton and Rege-Jean Page have all been bookie’s favourites to take on the role at one time or another, but theoretically, they’re all too old. Page is the youngest at 35, and with the next Bond film still a few years off, he’d be pushing 40 by his debut.

“Nobody’s in the running,” Broccoli told Deadline (https://deadline.com/2022/06/james-bond-daniel-craig-next-007-reinventing-barbara-broccoli-1235053969/) in June 2022, perhaps suggesting we should ignore all of the names above. “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.”

“He can be of any colour, but he is male,” she added.

He may be white, but one name has emerged as top of the pack. As we previously reported, Aaron Taylor Johnson may be in with a good chance, having reportedly met producers. At 33 he’s the right age, too, and he’s just famous enough that audiences will recognise him without having any strong preconceptions about him. “It’s not really for me to say anything,” Taylor Johnson told Esquire (https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/a44730888/aaron-taylor-johnson-interview-2023/) earlier this year, demonstrating a 00-level ability to keep schtum.

We don’t know who will be the next 007, but there are some pretty strong indications. Our money? Taylor Johnson or a complete unknown.

Who would take on Daniel Craig’s final film was a big question at the time, with Christopher Nolan and Denis Villeneuve’s names touted. Danny Boyle eventually got the job, before handing it over to Cary Joji Fukunaga. Now, it seems both Nolan and Villeneuve are back in conversation – which is strange as they’re more auteurs than franchise directors.

Then again, Bond isn’t as plasticy as the Marvel universe, and Nolan has demonstrated his commercial chops in his 

 trilogy, while Villeneuve is set to release the second of a possible trilogy of 

 films next year. In other words, both directors can deliver spectacle on large scale, putting their own spin on established franchises, while presumably taking a studio note or two along the way.

Rumour has it if Nolan were to direct, he’d take Aaron Taylor Johnson (whom he directed in 

) and take him back to the 1950/60s for two films adapting Fleming’s original source material. This is intriguing, but possibly tricky. As mentioned, Fleming’s Bond can be a right bitter so and so, and it’s unclear how his temperament would go down with modern audiences. Nolan, is known for his tub thumping patriotism (see: 

) so it’s difficult to say whether this would be a revisionist Bond, or indeed a slightly altered version of Fleming’s take. Also, as someone who deals in high-concept fare, often involving manipulation of time, Bond feels slightly conventional for Nolan; force Nolan into the Bond mold and it might feel like his talents are wasted. Allow Bond to become too high-brow and it’ll alienate his core fan base. A trick conundrum.

Villeneuve is arguably an even tricker director to pin down. He has worked with some-time Bond cinematographer Roger Deakins in the past, but his films lean towards hard sci-fi, especially in the case of 

 was deliciously dark, brutal and grounded. The question is whether audiences want a deadly serious Bond, and whether Villeneuve wants to come back down to earth.

Will other cast members return for Bond 26?

M, Moneypenny and Q have been played by just a handful of actors across 26 films, even with different faces in the main tuxedo. While the likes of Ralph Fiennes (M), Ben Whishaw (Q), and Naomie Harris (Moneypenny), and Rory Kinnear (Tanner) have expressed interest in returning, it’s probably unlikely. In the world of cinematic universes – and even multiverses – there’d simply be too much confusion should Naomie Harris show up playing the same character in the next Bond film, and audiences would likely be looking for non-existent connective tissue to Craig’s era (had it not been done to death recently, the multiverse might have appealed to Nolan). So, no, it’s unlikely anyone else will return.

Broccoli told Variety (https://variety.com/2022/film/global/james-bond-007-barbara-broccoli-michael-g-wilson-1235378239/) last September that the next Bond film is "going to be a couple of years off” which suggests early 2025 as the earliest possible release window, assuming a new Bond is announced before Christmas or early 2024 and filming begins soon after. It could be fast-tracked, though: Casino Royale was shot in January to July of 2006, releasing that November, so while unlikely, end of next year isn’t impossible.

Chances are, though, that producers might want to rest Bond a little longer; Craig’s iteration was arguably the most popular version of the character. It might be worth letting 007 rest for a while, bringing him back for the latter half of the 2020s. And who knows what strange, unstable new world he’ll find himself in then.

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