With Dune director Denis Villeneuve at the helm of the next James Bond movie and Steven Knight (Peaky Blinders) penning the screenplay, all eyes are on who will play the new 007.
Well, Deadline has some updates for us today, suggesting "an unknown" could take on the role in the spy series now under the full control of Amazon MGM. While Villeneuve isn't expected to start his search for an actor until he finishes shooting the Dune threequel next year, he's seeking a "fresh face" to lead the iconic series.
The character will remain male, and is going to be played by a British actor. That rules out the likes of Timothée Chalamet, Glen Powell, Austin Butler, and Jacob Elordi, along with fan-favourite picks Tom Hardy, Idris Elba, Henry Cavill, and Aaron Taylor-Johnson. It seems the ship has sailed on their chance to be Bond, James Bond.
Why? The trade explains that whoever does take on the role will likely be in his late twenties or early thirties, with the plan to stick closely to the Sir Ian Fleming novels, where Bond stands at over 6' tall and is described as "a blunt instrument."
An insider tells them, "Whoever it is, has to look like he could kill you with his bare hands in a trice. From the moment you see him, that has to be readily apparent."
The report adds, "There’s a sense from the many conversations I’ve had that Knight’s going back to Bond’s beginnings as a Royal Navy Commander before being recruited by MI6, the UK’s foreign intelligence agency, to perhaps chart how Bond attained 007 status," suggesting we could be looking at another origin story for the spy with "a new Bond, a new start, a fresh everything."
As for whether we could get a non-white Bond, it will come down to the story being told and whether the actor is right for the part.
Several actors have reportedly thrown their names into the hat, but the casting process hasn't begun, so any rumours you see are best taken with a pinch of salt. The next James Bond movie is, however, eyeing a November 2028 release, with shooting scheduled to take place in 2027.
In No Time to Die, Daniel Craig bid farewell to the role of Bond by killing the character off, a first for the long-running franchise. Like his run as 007, it seems we can expect this next iteration to be a little more connected than the largely standalone efforts released in the 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s, and early 2000s.
Let us know your thoughts on these latest James Bond updates in the comments section.