James Bond 26 Will Be A Reinvention After Daniel Craig’s Exit

LONGTIME James Bond producer, Barbara Broccoli, explains that the iconic 007 spy will be reinvented following Daniel Craig’s exit in No Time to Die.

Originally created in 1953 by author Ian Fleming, James Bond charmed audiences around the world in his first feature film Dr. No in 1962, starring Sean Connery as the captivating 007. The franchise eventually continued without Connery, using five additional actors in 25 films that spanned 70 years. Now, audiences are gearing up for the next chapter in the popular James Bond franchise.

No Time to Die saw the end of the Craig era in the multi-generational film series. Starting in 2006 with Casino Royale, the actor was praised for his more serious and gritty version of the seductive MI-6 agent. Craig was the face of James Bond for 15 years until the dramatic conclusion of the franchise’s latest entry.

After No Time to Die saw Craig’s Bond sacrifice himself and leave Madeleine (Léa Seydoux) and his daughter behind, the 25th Bond film’s credits included the promise “James Bond will return.”

Now, the search for the next James Bond actor is on, with Broccoli and her co-producer, Michael G. Wilson keeping the top choices for the role under wraps so far.

While speaking at a film event in London (via Deadline), Broccoli explained that EON Productions (the company behind the Bond franchise, led by Broccoli and Wilson) is looking to “reinvent” the hit action-adventure series after Craig’s exit. The producer shared that a new James Bond 26 script has yet to be written, as they must first settle on how to refocus the iconic franchise.

It makes sense that choosing a new Bond actor, as well as completing the Bond 26 script, cannot be finalized without agreeing on a direction for the franchise’s future. Craig’s run of films was, in itself, a complete reinvention of 007. Craig’s films acted as a standalone series, rebooting the character from a younger agent and taking him through to his death.

All previous versions of Bond loosely followed the same continuity, with only actors changing over the years. Although the five actors following Connery’s performance emulated the original Bond portrayal to an extent, they each added a unique quality to the character. Roger Moore was an older Bond sporting a lighter, more charming personality, while Timothy Dalton’s films saw a harder-edged 007 who wore his emotions on his sleeve. Craig’s version added trauma, but also heart, to a franchise that many had called stale up to that point.

Reinventing a franchise that has been a part of Hollywood for seven decades is certainly a challenging task. The James Bond series has taken the character all over the world, into space, and continuously changed his story.  (source: screenrant.com)

(ROHN ROMULO)