James Bond producer Barbara Broccoli has promised that the 26th film of the franchise will “reinvent” 007.
Speaking at a recent dinner event, in which she and her half-brother Michael G Wilson were presented with BFI Fellowships, Broccoli said that they have not yet cast a replacement for Daniel Craig.
“Nobody’s in the running,” she said in a speech [via Deadline]. “We’re working out where to go with him, we’re talking that through.”
The producer also stated that the next Bond film won’t begin filming until at least 2025, with a clear direction for the story yet to be decided.
“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,” she said. “We’re reinventing who he is and that takes time. I’d say that filming is at least two years away.”
Barbara Broccoli (Credit: Getty Images)
2021’s No Time Die marked Daniel Craig’s final outing as 007, with his iteration of the character being killed off at the end. Speculation about his replacement has since been rife.
Earlier this year, Broccoli addressed the rumours that Idris Elba was being considered for the role.
“Well, we know Idris, we’re friends with him, and he’s a magnificent actor. And, you know, it’s been part of the conversation, but it’s always difficult to have the conversation when you have someone [Craig] in the seat,” she said at the time.
The producer previously stated that the next Bond will definitely be a man, “because I don’t think a woman should play James Bond. I believe in making characters for women and not just having women play men’s roles.
“I don’t think there are enough great roles for women, and it’s very important to me that we make movies for women about women. (Bond) should be British, so British can be any [ethnicity or race].”
In addition to Elba, some of the other actors to be linked with the role include Tom Hardy, Henry Cavill, Bridgerton’s Regé-Jean Page and Richard Madden.
