Bond producer Barbara Broccoli reveals that the next James Bond will only be cast once No Time To Die has been released and some time has passed. Daniel Craig, who stepped into the role for 2005's Casino Royale, taking over from Pierce Brosnan, is stepping away after the upcoming 25th film in the long-running franchise. His tenure as 007 has been up and down, with Casino Royale and Skyfall considered great Bond films, while Quantum of Solace and Spectre were less successful.
After threatening to quit following Spectre, Craig finally confirmed that No Time to Die will in fact be his swan song. That film was supposed to be released earlier this year, but will now only be released in 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic. That's meant Craig's replacement as 007 hasn't been revealed yet, though it hasn't stopped rampant speculation on just who will step in the MI6 agent's shoes. A machine learning algorithm suggests that Man of Steel and The Witcher star Henry Cavill is favorite, while there is also speculation that Tom Hardy, Idris Elba or even Game of Thrones' Richard Madden could take on the role.
Broccoli, current Bond producer and daughter of original Bond film boss Cubby Broccoli, has confirmed that she and her fellow EON Productions team haven't cast Craig's replacement yet. Talking to Total Film, Broccoli says you can "only be in love with one person at a time," referring to the fact that Craig still owns the role until No Time To Die has left theaters. She adds, though that when the time does come to cast his replacement, the role will have to be "re-imagined" and that it doesn't necessarily have to be a "white man" who takes over the role. She also doubles down on not casting a woman as Bond, saying that roles shouldn't be gender-swapped for the sake of it, but rather that new roles can be created for women. You can read her full comments below:
I always say: you can only be in love with one person at a time. Once the film’s come out, then some time will pass, and then we’ll have to get on to the business of the future. But for now, we just cannot think about anything beyond Daniel. It will have to be re-imagined, in the way each actor has re-imagined the role. That’s what is so exciting and fun about this franchise; the character evolves. Eventually, when we have to think about it, we’ll find the right person. He doesn’t need to be a white man. Not as far as I’m concerned ... [but] we should create roles for women, not just turn a man into a woman.
Naturally, Broccoli wouldn't reveal anything even if the role had been re-cast, but it's interesting to note that she won't rule any type of actor out. It leaves the door open for a number of Black British actors to step into the role, which would be refreshing re-imagining of the role, and help bring the franchise firmly into the 21st century. That doesn't rule out white actors, though, and the likes of Cavill and Hardy are still clearly in the running.
One does wonder if, despite Broccoli's words to the contrary, if any actors have already been approached. Given that EON has clearly already begun thinking about Bond 26, even going so far as to say that they would like director Cary Fukunaga to return for the film, there is every chance that some contenders have auditioned. This is even more likely given that No Time To Die was going to make its debut earlier this year, and thus the producers may have begun the search already. For now, though, Broccoli is clearly not going to reveal anything, so audiences will have to wait until the final Daniel Craig Bond film has left theaters before they find out who replaces him.
Source: Total Film
