Warning: SPOILERS for No Time To Die.
Daniel Craig's James Bond era is over but there are key aspects Bond 26 and the movies that follow need to keep. Craig played 007 in five films from 2006's Casino Royale to 2021's No Time To Die. However, due to the length of time in between films, Daniel Craig became the actor who played James Bond the longest at 15 years. Additionally, Craig's Bond movies are the most popular and financially successful of the modern era, with 2012's Skyfall's 1.109-billion gross setting a franchise record.
Casino Royle completely rebooted the James Bond movie franchise. Before Daniel Craig became 007, the Bond movies were one continuous, though loosely connected, canon beginning with 1962's Dr. No and ending with 2002's Die Another Day. Despite five actors playing James Bond, beginning with Sean Connery, who was followed by George Lazenby, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, and Pierce Brosnan, it was generally understood that they all were playing the same character. Although each new James Bond actor constituted a soft reboot for each new decade of the franchise, it was still the same 007 who lived through all of those adventures. But after Die Another Day's lukewarm critical and audience reception, and with more visceral action films like Jason Bourne providing competition, James Bond's producers, Eon Productions, decided 007 needed a radical change, and Daniel Craig's run as James Bond proved to be phenomenally successful.
With No Time To Die closing the book on Daniel Craig's era, James Bond is at a crossroads once again and the franchise is on the verge of yet another makeover. Not only will Eon Productions have to choose a new 007, but other major decisions will also need to be made about the direction of the franchise. The fact that Craig's Bond died at the end of No Time To Die gave his version of 007 a definitive ending so it's highly likely that the next James Bond will also have an all-new canon accompanying his introduction. Whatever happens next, there will soon be a new James Bond actor. But Daniel Craig's era was so successful (despite a few glaring mistakes) that the next wave of James Bond movies would be wise to retrain some of the important changes that made Craig's 007 so successful.
Bond 26 And Beyond Should Have An Arc Planned Out (Better Than Craig's)
A strategy that can keep the next wave of James Bond movies vital for years to come is to map out a complete arc for 007 ahead of time. Daniel Craig's movies were revolutionary because they applied Peak TV-style serialized storytelling so that, taken as a whole, Craig's five Bond movies tell a complete story. However, it didn't actually start out that way: Casino Royale was a standalone reboot origin story and Quantum of Solace took place immediately after, partly because a writer's strike dictated that the movie be written quickly and on the fly. When Sam Mendes took over the director's chair for Skyfall, he began exploring James Bond's past, and in his follow-up, Spectre, Mendes retconned all of Craig's previous Bond movies and reintroduced Ernst Stavro Blofeld (Christoph Waltz) as James' adoptive brother. No Time To Die then followed up on Spectre's retcons and completed the saga.
Rather than the haphazard way Craig's story as Bond was told and then revised on the go, it would be wiser to plan out how many films the next Bond will star in and then construct a macro story to give the next 007 a complete arc. Bond 26 and the films that follow don't necessarily have to be as tightly serialized as Craig's Bond films, and they can even retain the classic formula of Bond fighting a different megalomaniacal supervillain in every movie. However, each new Bond film can still be serialized with a continuous evolution for James and his allies so that the greater plan for the franchise becomes clearer after each film. The key is to already know where the next 007 is heading by plotting his arc out well in advance, which would prevent the awkward retcons Craig's Bond underwent.
Continue The Bond Girl Evolution Of Daniel Craig's Era
After Casino Royale introduced and then killed off Daniel Craig's Bond's great love, Vesper Lynd (Eva Green), the Bond Girls underwent a welcome revolution. While there were still women who were reduced to being sexy victims like Quantum of Solace's Strawberry Fields (Gemma Arterton) and Skyfall's Sévérine (Bérénice Marlohe), Bond Girls like Camille (Olga Kurylenko) in Quantum of Solace and Dr. Madeleine Swann (Léa Seydoux) in Spectre/No Time To Die became tougher and more capable. Even M's loyal secretary Miss Moneypenny was reinvented as an MI6 field agent and became Eve Moneypenny (Naomie Harris).
Along with the returning Madeleine Swann, No Time To Die debuted two of the best Bond Girls ever: Nomi AKA the new 007 (Lashana Lynch) and Paloma (Ana de Armas). Both Nomi and Paloma are stunning but incredibly skilled secret agents who never needed rescuing and more than held their own beside James Bond in the field. The next wave of Bond Girls needs to continue the groundwork Nomi and Paloma set so that the next 007's female companions are as equally capable as they are beautiful.
Daniel Craig's MI6 Supporting Cast Should Return
Daniel Craig's James Bond began his MI6 career without his classic helpers like Q and Miss Moneypenny until they were reintroduced in Skyfall as younger and more diverse versions, with Ben Whishaw's Q revealed as gay in No Time To Die. In addition, Ralph Fiennes took over the role of M from Judi Dench. While it's quite possible that Bond 26 will recast M, Q, and Moneypenny once again, it would be a shame to lose Naomi Harris, Ben Whishaw, and Ralph Fiennes, who were ideally cast in the roles. Perhaps Bond 26 could import Craig's MI6 supporting cast in the same way Judi Dench played M (albeit a different version) in both Pierce Brosnan's Bond films and in Daniel Craig's 007 canon. But if M, Q, and Moneypenny are recast, hopefully, Bond 26 can continue the welcome diversity of the actors.
Keep Exploring Bond's History And Emotional Vulnerability
Daniel Craig's James Bond was also revolutionary because his origins, past traumas, his deeply romantic side, and his emotional vulnerability were explored. Craig's 007 wasn't always the cool and unflappable secret agent played by the previous James Bond actors. Craig's Bond was wounded, acted rashly, and had a temper that worked against him, but he also fell in love twice, with Vesper Lynd and Madeleine Swann, and fathered Mathilde (Lisa-Dorah Sonnet), a young daughter he adored. Meanwhile, Craig's Bond directors, especially Sam Mendes and Cary Joji Fukunaga, delved into James' psyche to find out what made him tick, what really hurt him, and what in his core makes Bond truly heroic.
The next James Bond shouldn't repeat the details specific to Craig's version of 007, but Bond 26 should continue the mission to humanize James in new and interesting ways. After all, beyond the thrilling action and spectacle of Craig's movies, it was the fact that Craig's Bond had a genuine depth that kept audiences fascinated by his interpretation of the secret agent. Craig proved Bond is better when his humanity goes hand-in-hand with his dauntless skills and his license to kill, and the next 007 needs to be an equally complex, three-dimensional character.
Continue To Take Risks The Way Daniel Craig's Era Did
It's easy to forget how controversial Daniel Craig being cast as James Bond was a decade-and-a-half ago, but that was a risk that paid off royally. As was rebooting the Bond canon and all of the other chances the franchise took in reinventing 007. One of the lessons to take away from Daniel Craig's Bond era is to continue to be bold and keep looking for new and interesting directions to take James Bond next while honoring the traditions and tropes of the franchise. And that includes which actor is cast as the new 007. Daniel Craig's Bond movies created a new and wider audience for 007 and they set a high standard for Bond 26 to match. The only way to do it successfully isn't to try to clone Daniel Craig's era but to build on its many successes in order to revitalize James Bond again for the next generation.