Following Daniel Craig’s five-film run as James Bond, the Secret Service agent is due for a “reinvention.” Franchise producer Barbara Broccoli has shared an update on who may take over the role of Bond following Craig’s departure, and well, it’s not as satisfying as one would hope.
“Nobody’s in the running,” Broccoli tells Deadline. “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.”
With no Bond selected yet, the producer estimates “filming is at least two years away.” Broccoli has previously divulged some details about the Bond selection process, stating that the historically male character will remain that way.
“I believe in making characters for women and not just having women play men’s roles,” Broccoli said in a Hollywood Reporter profile. “I don’t think there are enough great roles for women, and it’s very important to me that we make movies for women about women. He should be British, so British can be any [ethnicity or race].”
Following the theatrical release of Craig’s swan song No Time To Die, rumors began to swirl about who would take on the role of 007 next, with the likes of Idris Elba, Tom Hardy, Henry Cavill, and Jacob Elordi all being name-dropped in the rumor mill. With Broccoli’s update, all of these hypothetical replacements have seemingly become moot.
Even a few months ago, Broccoli seemed more concerned with the present, and honoring Craig’s longtime work as the iconic secret agent. However, nearly a year after the film’s release, it may finally be time to get the wheels turning on the next Bond era.