Daniel Craig’s time in the James Bond franchise was radically different to anything that had come before, and Amazon needs to take on some key lessons in this new era. As the future of James Bond remains shrouded in mystery, fans will be anxious to see some sort of continuity. Some changes should be expected, but the Bond franchise has carved out its own niche since Dr. No in 1962, with plenty of traditions and icons that audiences will expect to see in the next Bond movie. However, this goes beyond surface-level imagery like martinis, tuxedos and Aston Martins.

As the Bond franchise faces the hurdle of another reboot, Casino Royale could provide the blueprint for a viable path forward. Not only did Daniel Craig’s first outing as 007 bring Bond back to the pinnacle of the action genre, but it subtly reinvented an iconic character for the 21st century. If Amazon wants to please fans while still taking a bold, original new direction, it should learn from some of Casino Royale‘s biggest lessons. While it’s still unknown who will become the next actor play Bond, the characterization could be key.

James Bond Falling In Love With Vesper Lynd Was A Game-Changer For The Franchise

Casino Royale Showed A More Tender Side To 007

Throughout the history of the James Bond franchise, 007 has had plenty of affairs with women, but very few which have actually affected him on an emotional level. This changed with Casino Royale, as Eva Green’s Vesper Lynd immediately stood out from the dozens of other “Bond girls” that came before her. Most of Bond’s lovers have been little more than interchangeable stereotypes, ready to be forgotten about in time for the next movie, but Vesper’s shadow hangs over Bond throughout the Daniel Craig years. He even visits her grave in No Time to Die.

The moment in which Bond consoles Vesper in the shower is one of Casino Royale‘s most striking images, partly because it’s so unusual to see the character both committing an act of selfless generosity and allowing himself to appear vulnerable. It’s hard to imagine Roger Moore’s Bond, for example, providing some much-needed human contact in the same way. The tone of his movies meant that he would never even be presented with the choice. This brief scene reveals a lot about who this new James Bond is, as well as how the next few movies can be more personal and emotional.

Of course, it should be noted that Bond had one or two intense, meaningful relationships before Craig took over. He marries Trudy in George Lazenby’s sole outing as 007, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, but even this relationship doesn’t seem as important. Perhaps because Lazenby’s tenure as Bond was cut short, Trudy soon becomes little more than an afterthought. Consider Moore’s Bond placing flowers on her grave at the start of For Your Eyes Only, which could be a touching moment, but it’s merely the set-up for one of the most ludicrous cold opens in franchise history, with Bond dropping Blofeld from a helicopter.

Casino Royale’s Vesper Lynd Story Helped To Modernize James Bond In The 2000s

The Vesper Lynd Romance Helped Make Bond A More Complex Character

The James Bond franchise has been in danger of falling behind the times before, and this was especially true in the early 2000s. The franchise’s intelligent reinvention of the character ensured that this wouldn’t happen. Spy-fi gadgets and excessive quips were largely left in the past, as Bond became grittier and more relatable in many ways. The start of Casino Royale focuses more on Bond’s violent side, with a brief sequence that shows the agent dispᴀssionately choking a man to death. This was the first step in the character’s renaissance, but showing his emotional side was just as important.

The James Bond franchise’s treatment of women has been one of its most common criticisms throughout the years. There are still more progressive movies out there, but the addition of Vesper Lynd paved the way for a few more three-dimensional female characters in the next few sequels. This coincided with a reinvention of Moneypenny, as Judi Dench’s M also broke the mold after her introduction in Pierce Brosnan’s era. Eva Green’s performance is vital to this transformation, but most of the change comes from the script itself.

More than simply being a fleshed-out, believable female character, Vesper changed the Bond franchise by changing James. Suddenly, audiences could see a more vulnerable and wounded protagonist. Without going overboard and veering into melodrama, this allowed the next few Bond movies to have a more substantial emotional throughline, which naturally raises the stakes and enhances the action. Casino Royale is still easily recognizable as a Bond movie, but this one change ripples throughout the story.

Amazon’s New James Bond Era Must Continue The Growth That Started In Casino Royale

The Franchise’s Direction Is Filled With Question Marks

Casino Royale is one of the best James Bond movies, so it’s a good place to start as Amazon tinkers with its new era of the franchise. The gap between No Time to Die and the next Bond movie will be the longest in the franchise’s history, which only adds to the pressure that Amazon is facing to get things right. There’s already some skepticism among the fan base about this new era, but looking at Casino Royale could serve as a reminder of the potential of James Bond in the modern landscape of blockbuster cinema.

Amazon will need to build upon the good work of Casino Royale without betraying the core tenets of the franchise. This means that female characters should be just as fully realized as the men, and that Bond’s relationships should matter to him more than they ever did in the 1960s and 1970s. It could be difficult to find the right tone, because trying to turn Bond into an emotional drama comes with some considerable risks. The notorious Blofeld twist in 2015’s Spectre should serve as a warning against injecting too much unnecessary drama.

Casino Royale works so well because the evolution of Bond’s character feels organic and earned. As the franchise moves ahead into an era of uncertainty, it’s important not to simply copy the past, but to learn from it in a way that aligns with fresh ideas. It’s always more interesting to see an action hero with something worth fighting for, but there are plenty of great James Bond movies which don’t play up the personal angle at all. Amazon can learn a lot from Casino Royale, but it shouldn’t forget the likes of From Russia With Love either.