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When can we watch the new James Bond film?
Released in 2021, No Time to Die marked the final appearance of actor Daniel Craig as MI6 agent 007. The spy saga is about to usher in a new era with a drastic U-turn for the 26th instalment of the adventures of James Bond, featuring new actors, new directors and new producers. Numéro dives into what you need to know about the upcoming film.
by Jordan Bako.
James Bond on the silver screen, a family matter
$1 billion. That’s the astronomical sum that Amazon MGM Studios had to pay to acquire “creative control” over the films based on the James Bond novels. It was a major decision, since EON Productions had been the sole producer of the adventures of Agent 007 on the silver screen since the release of the first film of the saga.
In July 1961, producers Albert R. Broccoli and Harry Saltzman founded EON Productions with one goal in mind: adapting Ian Fleming’s spy novels. The partners worked together for over 30 years before the death of Albert R. Broccoli, who eventually passed the torch to his daughter and son-in-law, Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson. For sixty years, the teams at EON Productions threw themselves body and soul into the James Bond franchise.
A Marvel-style cinematic universe for James Bond?
The former Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios, which were co-producers of the films featuring Agent 007, have been bought out by Amazon, the business empire of tycoon Jeff Bezos, in 2021. According to the US media company Deadline, tensions had arisen between Barbara Broccoli and Amazon MGM Studios regarding the future of the British spy. The two parties then reached an agreement and formed a new joint venture.
Amazon MGM would like to turn the James Bond saga into “an extended cinematic universe, just like the epic universes of Star Wars, Spider-Man or Marvel”. Initially opposed to the idea, Barbara Broccoli and Michael Wilson finally gave “creative control” up to Amazon MGM after a long power struggle with the production studios.
Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Josh O’Connor, Callum Turner… Who will be the new Agent 007?
This latest turn of events makes it hard to predict what the next adventures of agent 007 will have in store for us or when the audience will be able to find out… October 2021 was the release date of No Time to Die, the latest film of the saga starring Daniel Craig as Agent 007. A final bow after fifteen years of good and loyal service…
Since then, Daniel Craig hasn’t found his successor. After Sean Connery, Roger Moore and Pierce Brosnan, the task of finding someone to step into the shoes of James Bond has been a daunting one. But the Internet is full of propositions – Man of Steel actor Henry Cavill, Oscar-winner Cillian Murphy, Bridgerton star Regé-Jean Page and rising star Josh O’Connor are among those being considered to play the British spy.
Callum Turner, Lashana Lynch and Lucien Laviscount are also said to be in the running. As a matter of fact, Amazon tycoon Jeff Bezos has called on Instagram and X (ex-Twitter) users to know who they would like to see wearing Agent 007’s suit… Henry Cavill’s name has come up a lot in the suggestions.
Christopher Nolan, Denis Villeneuve or Phoebe Waller-Bridge as director?
Another source of debate – choosing the person who will direct the next James Bond film. With No Time to Die (2021), director Cary Joji Fukanaga succeeded Briton Sam Mendes, who directed the two penultimate James Bond films.
Once again, the list of candidates is long. Christopher Nolan, the seventh most lucrative director in history, has shared his interest in directing a James Bond film. In 2023, he told the Happy Sad and Confused podcast that he would need total creative control over the character of Agent 007 to do him justice.
Denis Villeneuve, director of the Dune saga, has also hinted that he would like to direct Agent 007 in a feature. Speaking to online media ComingSoon.net, he said: “I was raised with James Bond. I love James Bond movies. I would love to do a James Bond movie one day.”
Another choice candidate is filmmaker, screenwriter and actress Phoebe Waller-Bridge, who is notably behind the series Fleabag. Indeed, the British actress helped write the screenplay for No Time to Die. According to Barbara Broccoli, CEO of EON Productions, Phoebe Waller-Bridge could bring “a fresh, modern take on James Bond.” Other names such as Quentin Tarantino, Greta Gerwig and Guy Ritchie have also been mentioned… So, all bets are off.
The title and release date of the new James Bond film are still unknown yet.
Traduction Emma Naroumbo Armaing.
