Three years have already passed since No Time to Die and Agent 007's future still seems uncertain.
Being reborn can wait. This is what James Bond fans are saying today, three years after the release of Dying can waitthe film which marked Daniel Craig's farewell to the saga and, consequently, the beginning of the big questions about his succession and the necessary reboot from the adventures of 007.
Three years isn't that long in the world of franchises, but since no film seems to be on the horizon, we can reasonably assume that we won't see a new episode of James Bond before 2026. That is, five years of hiatus, very close to the Bondian absence record: six years between License to kill And GoldenEye (period of a big industrial and artistic crisis for the saga), six years also between 007 Ghost And Dying can wait (because of the incessant release postponements in the midst of the COVID pandemic).
“The spectators will wait. We don't want too much time to pass between two films but we're not worried at this stage.”declared to the British daily The Guardian Jennifer Salke, boss of Amazon MGM Studios (now owner of the 007 license) during an update on the future of the character invented by Ian Fleming:
“Lots of interesting ideas (on potential actors – editor’s note) have been mentioned. There are lots of different avenues we could follow. We have a strong relationship with EON Productions, Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson (the historical producers of the saga, who maintain creative control over the Bond films – editor's note). We're not looking to disrupt the way these wonderful films are made.”
Jennifer Salke also returned – without getting too wet – on the idea of a series set in the Bondian universe, an idea which has been in the air since 2021 and the takeover of MGM by Amazon :
“When it comes to such “intellectual property”, we necessarily think about the long term. We look at all angles.” Angles already well studied by Amazon, since the Bond brand has been available since last year on Prime in reality TV 007: on the way to the millionpresented by Brian Cox.
Two years ago, Barbara Broccoli explained that she and Michael G. Wilson were working on a “reinvention of Bond” and we would have to wait “at least two years” before production on a new film can begin.
Here we are two years later and nothing is fixed yet. Rumors about a successor to Daniel Craig have been circulating – after years of speculation surrounding Idris Elba's name, bookmakers are these days betting on Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Barry Keoghan. Rumors are also rife about the identity of the director of what will be the 26th episode of the saga. While Denis Villeneuve expressed interest in the characterwe have heard circulating in recent months the names of Kelly Marcel (director of Venom: The Last Dancewhich comes out at the end of the month), Edward Berger (In the west, nothing new), David Michod (Animal Kingdom, War Machine, The King), Bart Layton (The Imposter) or Yann Demange ('71, Undercover: a true story).
Last summer, the World of Reel site spread a rumor – therefore necessarily to be taken with a grain of salt – according to which Damien Chazelle had a meeting with the bosses of EON Productions (Chazelle had once said that the Bond was “the only franchise” on which he would see himself working). The director of La La Land And Babylon in the service of Barbara Broccoli? We can dream, but it seems almost as improbable as one day seeing Christopher Nolan sign a Bond – an old fan's dream which today seems to have been dissipated for good, especially after the difficulties that Danny Boyle experienced while working on his Bond in him, a pre-projectDying can wait for which he ended up throwing in the towel.
“Bond producers are looking for more controllable directors”Sam Mendes, the most “auteur” of the filmmakers who worked on the saga, recently said, when he was asked if he could one day direct another episode, after Skyfall And 007 Ghost.
“Never say never, as someone else would say. But that would surprise me. (…) They want people who are more malleable, who are at a less advanced stage of their career, who will perhaps use the film as a springboard, and who are more controllable by a studio.
James Bond fans will therefore have to continue to chomp at the bit. In the meantime, a good way to keep busy is undoubtedly to read the modest proposals of First to properly restart the saga:
Bond 26: what future for James Bond after No Time to Die?