I’m disappointed that the next James Bond movie is still going to take so long to come out, but I’m definitely not surprised. The first James Bond movie was released in 1962, and it was instantly clear that the missions of 007 could make for one of the biggest franchises in Hollywood. Since then, seven actors have played James Bond, the most recent being Daniel Craig. The ending of No Time to Die, which was released in 2021, marked the end of Craig’s tenure as Bond. Additionally, it was the first movie to kill the iconic spy.
James Bond dying in No Time to Die meant that the upcoming Bond 26 would be the start of a new era for the franchise. This is especially true now, since Amazon has full creative control of the James Bond franchise. Since control of the franchise has changed hands, progress is finally being made on Bond 26. However, it will still probably be several years before the movie is released. This is not necessarily surprising though, since continuing the James Bond franchise after the Daniel Craig films was always going to be challenging.
The Continuity Of Daniel Craig’s 007 Era Poses A Challenge For James Bond 26
Daniel Craig’s Movies Are Part Of Their Own Continuity
When it comes to continuity, James Bond has always been a very confusing franchise. Before the Craig films, all the James Bond movies were technically part of the same continuity. Therefore, even though the actors who played 007 changed multiple times, they were all technically playing the same version of the character. This was always strange to me, as the different actors all obviously brought different qualities to the role. In my opinion, it would have made a lot more sense to have each actor play a new version of Bond and start a new continuity.
This is exactly what happened when Craig started playing the MI6 spy. After the critical failure of Die Another Die, the franchise’s producers wanted to reboot the franchise and proceed in a bold new direction. This ended up being a wise decision, as Casino Royale, Craig’s first film as 007, is one of the best James Bond movies. Casino Royale starts a new continuity and focuses on a younger version of James Bond. Since Craig’s films aren’t connected to any other Bond movies, it’s unclear what continuity the next James Bond movie will be part of.
It would make the most sense for Bond 26 to follow the same strategy as Casino Royale and start completely from scratch. However, the next movie could also somehow be connected to Craig’s films, or the James Bond films that came before. It could also be very vague about its connection to previous movies in the franchise, which is basically what all the films did before Craig took over the role. Overall, it is currently unclear what direction the next James Bond movie will take.
Finding The Right Tone For James Bond 26 Is Very Hard After Daniel Craig’s 007
Should James Bond Movies Be Campy Again?
In addition to figuring out what continuity Bond 26 will be part of, finding the right tone for the next movie will also be very hard after No Time to Die and the other Craig films. Craig’s James Bond movies modernized the franchise in many ways, and ensured that it could compete with other major action series of the 21st century, such as Mission: Impossible and John Wick. Compared to other movies in the franchise, Craig’s James Bond films were much more serious and often darker in tone.
There have been reports that Bond 26 may return to the series’ campier tone.
Additionally, Craig’s films had an updated approach to the franchise’s female characters and the iconic Bond girls. The female characters in Craig’s films were shown to be much more capable and respected than some that were included in previous James Bond movies. While Craig’s films clearly made a lot of changes to the James Bond franchise, there have been reports that Bond 26 may return to the series’ campier tone. The franchise’s campier tone was especially evident in Roger Moore’s James Bond movies of the 70s and 80s, and a lot of camp was even included in Pierce Brosnan’s films.
However, returning to the franchise’s campier roots may result in Bond 26 being a critical failure, which would not be good for Amazon. After Craig’s films, Bond 26 having campier elements would be very jarring, and would probably not be received well by some audiences and critics. There are very high expectations for Bond 26, and audiences undoubtedly have different expectations for blockbusters now than they have had in the past. Therefore, after Craig’s films, it is also likely very hard to figure out the correct tone for Bond 26.
Daniel Craig Is An Extremely Difficult James Bond To Replace
Daniel Craig Is Perhaps The Best James Bond Ever
Several James Bond movies starring Craig are viewed as the best films in the entire series, in addition to being revolutionary for the franchise. Therefore, it’s understandable why the development of Bond 26 without Craig has been so difficult. However, it also needs to be noted that Craig is a very difficult James Bond to replace. Before Amazon took over creative control of the franchise, longtime James Bond producer Barbara Broccoli was struggling to find the next actor to portray 007. While progress will likely move quicker now, it will still be hard to find Craig’s replacement.
|
Daniel Craig’s James Bond Movies |
RT Critics Score |
|---|---|
|
Casino Royale (2006) |
94% |
|
Quantum of Solace (2008) |
63% |
|
Skyfall (2012) |
92% |
|
Spectre (2015) |
63% |
|
No Time to Die (2021) |
83% |
No matter who signs on to play James Bond in the next movie, they will likely face a lot of criticism for not being as good as Craig. After his five films, it is almost undeniable that Craig is one of, if not the best James Bond ever. Before Craig, Timothy Dalton only had two movies as Bond and Pierce Brosnan’s run as Bond was quite mixed. Therefore, the next actor to play James Bond will likely be under much more pressure than the last few actors. After all, Bond 26 won’t work at all if the wrong actor is cast to play the lead character.
How Long Will It Be Before We Finally Get James Bond 26?
Bond 26 Is Unfortunately Still Years Away
Now that Amazon has full creative control of the franchise, it seems like more progress is being made on Bond 26. However, it will likely still be years before the movie is released. In fact, the gap between No Time to Die and Bond 26 will likely be the longest in the history of the franchise. Previously, there were six years between 1989’s License to Kill, which was Dalton’s last movie, and 1995’s GoldenEye, which was Brosnan’s first film. Currently, it seems like there will be a longer gap between No Time to Die and Bond 26.
No Time to Die was released in 2021, which means that a 2027 release date for Bond 26 would match this six-year record. This is possible, but Amazon would have to cast a new James Bond quickly and figure out who is directing Bond 26. More than likely, if Bond 26 isn’t released in 2027, it will come out in 2028. Therefore, even though it has been four years since No Time to Die, it is clear that we are still years away from the next James Bond movie.
James Bond
- Created by
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Ian Fleming, Albert R. Broccoli
- First Film
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Dr. No
- Latest Film
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No Time to Die
- Upcoming Films
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James Bond 26
Summary
The James Bond franchise centers on the fictional British Secret Service agent James Bond, also known by his code number 007. Created by writer Ian Fleming in 1953, Bond has been featured in novels, films, television, radio, comics, and video games. The film series, produced by Eon Productions, is one of the longest-running and highest-grossing franchises in history, known for its blend of espionage, action, and sophisticated style.
