The famed producer weighed in on the next James Bond film at an event for BFI Fellowship in London last night.
It seems like just yesterday that No Time To Die finally premiered and we said a tearful goodbye to Daniel Craig’s James Bond. His 007 was distinctively different from the previous iterations of the popular character, originally created by Ian Fleming.
Craig’s version of the lethal MI6 agent was rougher around the edges, a bit more violent and less of a ladies man, although he certainly had his way with the women of the franchise. One might even call Craig’s Bond a romantic; he pined for his lost love in Casino Royale before finding true love with Madeline Swann. Shame he had to blow himself to smithereens at the end of No Time To Die.
But that’s all done and dusted now and the gossip around who might be the next Bond is at its all time high. Producer Barbara Broccoli told Deadline “Nobody’s in the running,” putting an end to speculation that Tom Hardy or Idris Elba might be the new 007.
“We’re working out where to go with him, we’re talking that through. 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. We’re reinventing who he is and that takes time. I’d say that filming is at least two years away” Broccoli continued.
Ben Richards, BFI’s Chief Executive Officer, praised Broccoli and her producing partner and brother, Michael G. Wilson as “giants of cinema.” The pair received their BFI Fellowship award last night. Tim Richards, BFI Chair, said in a statement earlier in June: “With amazing insight and vision Michael and Barbara have not only re-invented Bond for today’s audiences, but No Time to Die arrived at exactly the right moment to welcome those audiences back to the big screen experience as never before.”
A “reinvention” of Bond sounds good, but it’s a vague concept. Craig’s Bond was also very much a reinvention as well so it’ll be interesting to see where they take the character. It’s unclear whether Broccoli and Wilson plan on bringing back characters such as Ralph Fiennes’ M or Naomie Harris’ Moneypenny in future Bond films.
