Ever since the shock Amazon acquisition of creative control over the James Bond franchise from longtime stewards Barbara Broccoli and Michael J. Wilson, many have been left wondering if this was the right move for 007.
Whether fans like it or not, it’s happening, and after years of silence regarding the future of the franchise, endless casting speculation and no news on a script for Bond 26, it seems that the $1billion investment by bonafide Bond villain Jeff “Blofeld” Bezos comes with a shaken production timetable.
Indeed, the new James Bond film is “being fast-tracked" for release and we now know that the next adventure will have a reported budget of £250 million (approx. €298m) - around the same amount as Daniel Craig’s final outing as the famous spy, No Time To Die (which reportedly cost between $250m and $301m).
That's not all. This price tag also comes with a ETA.
According to The Sun, Amazon are aiming for the 26th Bond film to hit cinemas by the end of 2027, with a source stating that “the writers’ rooms are being assembled in the hope of recouping their investment ASAP.”
That means that when the next Bond film arrives, it will match the record for the longest wait for a new 007 since Sean Connery first played the British spy in 1962’s Dr No. The previous record was GoldenEye, which was released in 1995 - six years after Timothy Dalton appeared in Licence to Kill. The 2015-2021 pause between SPECTRE and No Time To Die already gave that record a run for its money, primarily due to the Covid pandemic which delayed the release of the film.
Amazon’s acquisition of the Bond franchise has also led to online speculation that a series of soul-draining spin-offs are on the cards, an MCU-calque which fans fear will dilute the impact of the beloved film legacy.
It still remains to be seen which filmmaker will guide Bond into its new era, and there’s also the rather pressing matter of who will play James Bond...
Indeed, the hunt for a new 007 to replace Daniel Craig is heating up, and whoever replaces the British actor has some big shoes to fill. Craig portrayed Bond for 15 years, making him the longest serving actor in the role, as well as a fan favourite.
Henry Cavill seems to be the people’s choice, while there were reports that Aaron Taylor-Johnson had landed the role.
Frequently mentioned names include James Norton, Kingsley Ben-Adir, Richard Madden, Rege-Jean Page and Tom Hardy, adn popular bookies picks at the moment also include Triangle of Sadness and Babygirl star Harris Dickinson, Challengers actor Josh O’Connor, Slow Horses star Jack Lowden and Gladiator II leading man Paul Mescal.
There’s even been some tongue-in-cheek speculation that a certain Oscar-nominated actor-director could be in the mix for Bond, following a comment made by none other than Polish prime minister Donald Tusk. You can read all about that here.
Until an official announcement is made, nothing's certain. What’s clear though is that Amazon are in a hurry to cash in on their investment – especially since Ian Fleming’s original James Bond novels are expected to enter the public domain in the US, UK, Australia, France and Germany in 2035. This could hypothetically lead to rival film studios making their own movies about the Bond books.
With that date looming in the background, the announcement of Daniel Craig’s successor feels like it’s close...
