It seems fans still have a while to wait before the next 007 is revealed…

By Patrick Cremona

Published: Saturday, 21 October 2023 at 20:49 PM

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More than two years have come and gone since No Time to Die arrived in cinemas – but despite plenty of rumours, we’re still none the wiser as to who will be replacing Daniel Craig as cinema’s most iconic spy.

And it looks like we could still be some way off finding out, with franchise chief Barbara Broccoli having recently issued another update on the status of the next entry in the long-running series.

Speaking to The Guardian ahead of the debut of Prime Video reality series 007: Road to a Million, Brocolli explained that she and her fellow producers “haven’t even begun” the process of modernising Bond for the 26th film.

She also mentioned that there is “a big road ahead” as they ensure that the character is “reinvented for the next chapter.”

While she doesn’t specifically mention anything about the casting process, it hardly seems like an announcement is imminent – and so it appears Bond fans will have to make do with speculating for a while yet.

A number of high-profile actors have been linked to the role before and after Daniel Craig announced his intention to step down following his fifth outing as 007 – with current frontrunners including the likes of Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Regé-Jean Page.

Other stars who have been mentioned over the years include James Norton, Jack Lowden, Tom Hiddleston, Henry Cavill and Idris Elba, although the latter three are now probably too old to take over the part.

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Earlier this year, Brocolli’s half-brother and co-producer Michael G. Wilson told Deadline that the next 007 will be “a thirty-something” while casting director Debbie McWilliams told RadioTimes.com that “the gift of casting a James Bond film… is you don’t need to cast a well-known name.”

McWilliams also said that most of the casting rumours make her “die laughing” adding that: “When I hear about who the bookies’ favourites are, and who’s number 15 and all this kind of thing… I mean, it’s just hilarious.”

A rather outlandish – and so far unsubstantiated rumour – recently emerged that suggested Oppenheimer director Christopher Nolan could be set to take the reigns for the next two Bond instalments, which would certainly be exciting news for fans if it turns out to be true.

Nolan himself said earlier this year that “it would be an amazing privilege” to do a Bond film and that “the influence of those movies in my filmography is embarrassingly apparent.”