It’s been five years since the last James Bond film, No Time to Die, premiered – after three delays of its own due to Covid – and we’re all frankly exhausted.
Since then, we’ve seen Amazon buy full creative control of the franchise from longtime producers the Broccoli family and been drip-fed the announcements of Peaky Blinders scribe Steven Knight as Bond 26’s screenwriter and multi-Oscar-nominee Denis Villeneuve as director.
But perhaps, most frustratingly, we have lived through various 007 casting rumour eras, the most enduring of which was Aaron Taylor-Johnson’s, and so much so that denials had to be issued when it was reported as a sealed deal in March 2024.
Since then, every male British actor under 40 has been interrogated about the role, while long-time fan favourites like Idris Elba and Henry Cavill have been mourned for ageing out of contention after it was confirmed the studio wanted someone in his 30s who could commit at least a decade to the part.
And now we come to this past weekend, where the final four – or three, or five – actors in the running were reportedly screen-testing for Bond, keeping developments in line with producer Amy Pascal’s previous statement that ‘the end of the year is a good bet’ for a casting announcement.
Masters of the Air and Eternity actor Callum Turner and Slow Horses star Jack Lowden are heavily rumoured to be among the final auditionees, alongside Challengers and The Crown’s Josh O’Connor.
But I’m not here to talk about the casting or defend my pick for the role – to be honest, I think I’ve been numbed to the result anyway by half a decade of reporting on the constantly grinding rumour mill, although nothing would give me a greater thrill than having to google the name of the chosen actor.
However, I am begging Amazon – whoever it is that ends up inheriting Bond’s licence to kill – that there is a big, splashy launch to reveal the news. A dramatic unveiling is essential at this stage to kickstart the giddy excitement after so many years of glacial development.
It’s been 21 years since a new 007 was unveiled, when Daniel Craig stepped forward to present a new take on Ian Fleming’s suave MI6 spy – and how the public was initially shocked at a blonde Bond after the years of dark-haired actors before him, including his predecessor Pierce Brosnan! But Craig easily silenced those critics with Casino Royale’s slick sophistication the following year.
Producers also strongly signalled their supreme confidence in Craig from the off, by enlisting the Royal Navy to help announce him as the next Bond in style.
The actor, then 37, zipped along the Thames from HMS Belfast in a speedboat manned by Royal Marines, under Tower Bridge, before mooring at the jetty of HMS President, where a subsequent press conference took place onboard.
This sort of climactic but still cool energy is vital. This is the one time Brits want a bit of flash-bang-wallop, when we’re unveiling a character as tightly interwoven with our national identity as Bond is.
The last thing we need is another nondescript, black-framed headshot shared to Instagram to announce it, as happened for Knight and Villeneuve. Or, God forbid, it happens after the trades have already reported it – like with the recent lead casting of Amazon MGM Studios’ buzzy Fourth Wing TV adaptation.
The James Bond 'also-rans' in 2005
It took three years from Pierce Brosnan’s final outing as 007 in 2002’s Die Another Day for fans to find out Daniel Craig had been cast. But these were the other actors considered in contention at the time:
- Henry Cavill
- Clive Owen
- Jude Law
- Ewan McGregor
- Colin Salmon
- Colin Farrell
- Goran Visnjic
Announcing the next James Bond is the biggest piece of news this studio will ever be responsible for, it goes far beyond simply casting a much-hyped new film. This is building on a legacy stretching back decades to Sean Connery winning the role in 1961, and it builds on bona fide movie history.
To that end, I want Amazon to put on a show and reassure the world – and the UK in particular – that they know what they’re doing when driving this precious billion dollar baby. And also that they back their Bond pick all the way, just like Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson did Craig, the first 007 they picked themselves after original producer Albert R ‘Cubby’ Broccoli’s death.
Obviously it can’t just be a rinse and repeat of before, but a similar stunt-led nod to Bond’s roots would be welcome, like a helicopter arrival or something linked to the SIS Building in Vauxhall (yes, I know they won’t actually let a pack of press actually inside).
And a hush-hush lead-up too, with NDAs, co-ordinates to work out the location on the day, invitations delivered in self-destructing envelopes – whatever, just a general air of mystery and anticipation.
Bond, whoever he ends up being, is a character that uniquely straddles the world of now and the future with cutting-edge gadgets (thank you, Q) as well as the past with 007’s heritage. A slick physical launch event with an edge of Cool Britannia can perfectly serve those audiences – as well as, yes, provide a plethora of content for the insatiable social platforms upon which so much importance is placed.
And it has the power to leave us all shaken and stirred, our Bond excitement invigorated just as the next movie finally starts cameras rolling.