James Bond film series producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson provide an update on the search for the next actor to play the iconic British super spy.
Talk to Variety, the pair said the search for the next James Bond actor is still in “early stages”. Whoever gets the role will need to be in multiple films over a 10-year period, Broccoli said.
“The thing is, it’s going to be a few years away,” she said. “When we picked Bond, it was a 10-year, 12-year commitment. So he was probably thinking, ‘Do I really want that thing?’ Not everyone wants to do that. It’s hard enough. [Daniel Craig to do it]. “
Craig played James Bond in five films, ending with No Time to Die in 2021. He didn’t always make it back in No Time To Die, as he made headlines saying he’d rather “cut his wrists” than come back, but he later explained what he really wanted to say.
British actor Idris Elba came up with a name for the James Bond character. Broccoli and Wilson said they hadn’t spoken to Elba, but Wilson said Elba was “great,” and Broccoli praised him. “We love Idris,” she said.
Also in the interview, Broccoli said the next James Bond film will be a “remake” of the character, and it may take some time to find the right person. “It’s about reinventing, ‘Where are we going to take it? What do we want to do with this character?'” she said. “And then, once we figure it out, who is the right person for that particular remodel?”
“It’s a big commitment. It’s not just about shooting for months,” she said.
As for the evolution of the character of James Bond, the recent movies starring Daniel Craig have shown more of Bond’s emotions, and there will be more changes in the next movies. Broccoli said the fictional character, known for being feminine in earlier works, is “evolving with the evolution of men.”
Before that, Broccoli said the next person to play James Bond could be a Brit of any race or ethnicity.
“I think it’s going to be a man because I don’t think women should play James Bond,” she told hollywood reporter“I believe in creating characters for women, not just for women to play male roles. I don’t think female characters are good enough, and it’s very important to me to make films about women for women. He should be British, so British can be any [ethnicity or race]. “
This fits nicely with what Craig himself has said about the future of the series. Craig said in an interview that he disapproved of the idea of a woman playing James Bond, but commented that women and people of color should be given other roles of similar status.
“The answer is simple,” he told radio times“There should be better roles for women and actors of color. Why should a woman play James Bond when there should be a role as good as James Bond, but for a woman?”
In addition to a new cast starring James Bond in the inevitable next 007 film, the 26th Bond film is expected to be produced by Amazon, which recently acquired MGM. Broccoli said she was told “things aren’t going to change” and that the next Bond movie will be an MGM movie under the Amazon umbrella. One naturally wonders if Amazon will consider putting the next Bond movie on Amazon Prime Video, but whether that will happen remains to be seen.
Outside of the movie, Hitman developer IO Interactive is working on a new James Bond game that tells the origin story of British spies. Additionally, the iconic James Bond game GoldenEye is coming to Switch and Xbox.
The products discussed here have been independently selected by our editors. GameSpot may share revenue if you purchase any product on our site.
