I’m disappointed that the nextJames Bondmovie is still going to take so long to come out, but I’m definitely not surprised. The firstJames Bondmoviewas released in 1962, and it was instantly clear that the missions of 007 could make for one of the biggest franchises in Hollywood. Since then, sevenactors have played James Bond, the most recent being Daniel Craig. The ending ofNo Time to Die, which was released in 2021, marked the end of Craig’s tenure as Bond. Additionally, it was the first movie to kill the iconic spy.
James Bond dying inNo Time to Diemeant that theupcomingBond 26would be the start of a new era for the franchise. This is especially true now, sinceAmazon has full creative control of theJames Bondfranchise. Since control of the franchise has changed hands, progress is finally being made onBond 26. However, it will still probably be several years before the movie is released. This is not necessarily surprising though, sincecontinuing theJames Bondfranchise after the Daniel Craig films was always going to be challenging.
The Continuity Of Daniel Craig’s 007 Era Poses A Challenge For James Bond 26
Daniel Craig’s Movies Are Part Of Their Own Continuity
When it comes to continuity,James Bondhas always been a very confusing franchise. Before the Craig films, all theJames Bondmovies were technically part of the same continuity. Therefore,even though the actors who played 007 changed multiple times, they were all technically playing the same version of the character. This was always strange to me, as the different actors all obviously brought different qualities to the role. In my opinion, it would have made a lot more sense to have each actor play a new version of Bond and start a new continuity.
In 10 Years, We’re Going To Have Way More James Bond Movies - And Not Just From Amazon
James Bond has moved to Amazon with a new rights deal, but something even more notable will happen for the franchise in just ten short years.
This is exactly what happened when Craig started playing the MI6 spy. After the critical failure ofDie Another Die, the franchise’s producers wanted to reboot the franchise and proceed in a bold new direction. This ended up being a wise decision, asCasino Royale, Craig’s first film as 007, is one of the bestJames Bondmovies.Casino Royalestarts a new continuity and focuses on a younger version of James Bond. SinceCraig’s films aren’t connected to any otherBondmovies, it’s unclear what continuity the nextJames Bondmovie will be part of.
It would make the most sense forBond 26to follow the same strategy asCasino Royaleand start completely from scratch. However, the next movie could also somehow be connected to Craig’s films, or theJames Bondfilms that came before. It could also be very vague about its connection to previous movies in the franchise, which is basically what all the films did before Craig took over the role. Overall, it is currently unclear what direction the nextJames Bondmovie will take.
Finding The Right Tone For James Bond 26 Is Very Hard After Daniel Craig’s 007
Should James Bond Movies Be Campy Again?
In addition to figuring out what continuityBond 26will be part of, finding the right tone for the next movie will also be very hard afterNo Time to Dieand the other Craig films. Craig’sJames Bondmovies modernized the franchise in many ways, and ensured that it could compete with other major action series of the 21st century, such asMission: ImpossibleandJohn Wick. Compared to other movies in the franchise,Craig’sJames Bondfilms were much more serious and often darker in tone.
There have been reports thatBond 26may return to the series' campier tone.
Additionally,Craig’s films had an updated approach to the franchise’s female characters and the iconic Bond girls. The female characters in Craig’s films were shown to be much more capable and respected than some that were included in previousJames Bondmovies. While Craig’s films clearly made a lot of changes to theJames Bondfranchise, there have been reports thatBond 26may return to the series' campier tone. The franchise’s campier tone was especially evident in Roger Moore’sJames Bondmovies of the 70s and 80s, and a lot of camp was even included in Pierce Brosnan’s films.
However,returning to the franchise’s campier roots may result inBond 26being a critical failure, which would not be good for Amazon. After Craig’s films,Bond 26having campier elements would be very jarring, and would probably not be received well by some audiences and critics. There are very high expectations for Bond 26, and audiences undoubtedly have different expectations for blockbusters now than they have had in the past. Therefore, after Craig’s films, it is also likely very hard to figure out the correct tone forBond 26.
Daniel Craig Is An Extremely Difficult James Bond To Replace
Daniel Craig Is Perhaps The Best James Bond Ever
SeveralJames Bondmovies starring Craig are viewed as the best films in the entire series, in addition to being revolutionary for the franchise. Therefore, it’s understandable why the development ofBond 26without Craig has been so difficult. However, it also needs to be noted that Craig is a very difficult James Bond to replace. Before Amazon took over creative control of the franchise, longtimeJames Bondproducer Barbara Broccoli was struggling to find the next actor to portray 007. While progress will likely move quicker now, it will still be hard to find Craig’s replacement.
94%
Quantum of Solace (2008)
63%
92%
No Time to Die (2021)
83%
No matter who signs on toplay James Bond in the next movie, they will likely face a lot of criticism for not being as good as Craig. After his five films, it is almost undeniable that Craig is one of, if not the best James Bond ever. Before Craig, Timothy Dalton only had two movies as Bond and Pierce Brosnan’s run as Bond was quite mixed. Therefore, the next actor to play James Bond will likely be under much more pressure than the last few actors. After all,Bond 26won’t work at all if the wrong actor is cast to play the lead character.
How Long Will It Be Before We Finally Get James Bond 26?
Bond 26 Is Unfortunately Still Years Away
Now that Amazon has full creative control of the franchise, it seems like more progress is being made onBond 26. However, it will likely still be years before the movie is released. In fact, thegap betweenNo Time to DieandBond 26will likely be the longest in the history of the franchise. Previously, there were six years between 1989’sLicense to Kill, which was Dalton’s last movie, and 1995’sGoldenEye, which was Brosnan’s first film. Currently,it seems like there will be a longer gap betweenNo Time to DieandBond 26.
With Amazon Taking Over The James Bond Franchise, These 7 Spinoffs Just Became A Lot More Likely
The James Bond franchises has resisted spinoffs and TV shows for over 60 years, but this could be about to change after Amazon’s takeover.
No Time to Diewas released in 2021, which means that a 2027 release date forBond 26would match this six-year record. This is possible, but Amazon would have to cast a new James Bond quickly and figure out who is directingBond 26. More than likely,ifBond 26isn’t released in 2027, it will come out in 2028. Therefore, even though it has been four years sinceNo Time to Die, it is clear that we are still years away from the nextJames Bondmovie.
