- A question mark has been hanging over the franchise for some time
- Amazon are now in control
- Various different names have been suggested
It’s all change for the James Bond franchise now that Amazon MGM studios have full control of the next film.
Read more: What does Amazon MGM deal mean for James Bond
Last week, the shock announcement came that long-time heads Michael G Wilson and Barbara Broccoli wouldn’t have creative control for the instalment. However, they will remain as “co-owners” of the franchise.
“With my 007 career spanning nearly 60 incredible years, I am stepping back from producing the James Bond films to focus on art and charitable projects,” said Wilson. “Therefore, Barbara and I agree, it is time for our trusted partner, Amazon MGM Studios, to lead James Bond into the future.”
The deal means that Amazon will decide who will be the next James Bond actor and what the next movie in the franchise will be. But who might they choose?
The new James Bond: possible contenders
There’s a couple of main criteria for choosing the actor who will fill Daniel Craig;’s shoes. They must be a British man and young enough to stay in the role for at least 15 years. It doesn’t mean they have to be young as such – Craig was in his early fifties for his last James Bond film, No Time To Die.
Idris Elba was a popular favourite among fans to take over, but that’s perhaps less likely now. The actor said in 2023 that the prospect of racist backlash as the first black 007 would put him off the role. In addition, at 52, he might be slightly older than what producers are looking for.
The door’s still open for there to be the first James Bond of colour, however. Regé-Jean Page’s breakthrough role in the first season of Bridgerton made him a contender, while other suggestions include Damson Idris, Aaron Pierre and Lucien Laviscount.
There’s also a question of profile. Could Amazon draw in an intrigued audience by casting someone recognisable or give a relative unknown the role of a lifetime?
“We tend to forget that all the Bonds were not big stars in films when they were hired for that role,” Fandango director of analytics and Box Office Theory founder/owner Shawn Robbins remarked to Variety. “Hire a comparatively unfamiliar face to grow into the part and to become well-known in the role. It seems to have worked in the past.”
Some names floated are more prestigious though, such as Andrew Scott, Aidan Turner or Barry Keoghan.
When might we find out who the new James Bond is?
It’s taken a while for more concrete details to emerge, but the delay can now possibly be explained by this deal being in the pipeline.
Hopefully, now the deal has been struck, there will be more an announcement of when the 26th Bond film will go into production too. Back in 2022, Barbara Broccoli said an announcement was “a couple of years off”, according to Variety, but that deadline came and went and nothing was announced.
You can read everything we know about Bond 26 here.
It also means that Amazon could revamp the Bond franchise and shake the character and stories up.
