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When the bartender in the 2006 film Casino Royale asks James Bond how to make his favorite cocktail, the vodka martini, shaken or stirred, 007 replies irritably, “Do I look like I care?”
These kinds of lines were a witty way to let Bond viewers know that a new era had arrived for 007—and that with the arrival of Daniel Craig, the film series that began in 1962 would change dramatically.
(This is a translation of an article by a BBC correspondent. The original in English is here.)
In the following films, the producers managed to find a balance between references to the franchise classics and abandoning some of the most banal Bond clichés, ceasing to strictly follow all Bond traditions.
“What did you expect, an exploding pen? - Q, played by Ben Whishaw, asks a Secret Service agent in the film 007: Skyfall. “We don’t make them anymore.”
Two decades after Craig's debut as 007, Bond is being rebooted with a new actor and a new team. It's an exciting time for Bond fans as they look forward to what the next era will look like. Here's what we know so far.
When will the next Bond actor be announced?
The casting process is already in full swing, and the name of the new James Bond actor will likely be announced in November or December.
In August, producer Amy Pascal told Deadline: “I would say the end of the year is a very likely option. We're very, very methodical."
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As far as we know, the final auditions took place at the end of October, so unless something unexpected happens, it won't take long for producers to make a decision or for the actor to sign a contract.
But it is still unknown how exactly the name of the new 007 will be announced. Previously, the actors playing the role of Bond were introduced to the public at a photo shoot or press conference. Now that Amazon MGM owns the rights to the franchise, some are expecting the company to make an announcement through its Prime Video streaming service.
Who will be the new James Bond?
The main contenders for the role of Bond are three actors: 36-year-old Jack Lowden (known, among other things, for his roles in the TV series “Slow Horses” and “Pride and Prejudice,” which will begin showing in early December) and his peers Josh O’Connor (“The Crown” and “Knives Out: Wake Up Dead”) and Callum Turner (“Masters of the Air,” “The Capture”).
The names of such actors as Jack O'Connell ("Skins", "Sinners"), Jack Barton ("A Tremble of the Heart", "SAS: Unknown Heroes"), Joe Alwyn ("Brutalist", "Hamnet: The Story That Inspired Hamlet"), Nicholas Hoult ("About My Boy", "Superman" 2025), Robert Pattinson ("Twilight", "Batman"), Jacob Elordi (“Saltburn”, “Euphoria”), Paul Mescal (“Gladiator 2”, “Normal People”)
But we must remember that the choice of Craig for the role of Bond in 2005 was a surprise, so it should not be ruled out that this time an actor whose name has not yet been named will be chosen.
When is the next Bond film coming out?
Filming is expected to begin in 2027 and premiere in 2028. Specific dates have not yet been announced.
Film shooting schedules, of course, often change, but the director and screenwriter have already been determined, which means work on the project is already underway.
This will be the 26th film in the official Bond series, its title has not yet been confirmed.
Who will write and direct the new Bond film?
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The film will be directed by Denis Villeneuve, known for the films “Prisoners”, “The Assassin”, “Arrival”, “Blade Runner 2049” and the recent “Dune” trilogy starring Timothée Chalamet.
“Some of my earliest memories of going to the movies are from 007,” Villeneuve said in an interview last year. “I grew up watching James Bond films, which I went to see with my father, starting with Dr. No with Sean Connery. I'm a big Bond fan. For me it is a shrine."
“I intend to honor tradition and pave the way for many new Bond missions that are yet to come,” Villeneuve said. “It’s a huge responsibility, but at the same time it’s a great honor for me.”
The script for the new film will be written by Steven Knight, known for the television series Peaky Blinders and House of Guinness, as well as the films Chief Adam Jones, Locke, Spencer and The Girl in the Web.
Knight says he's always wanted to write a Bond film, and now that he's working on the franchise, he feels like he's "doing my duty to king and country."
In an interview with the BBC, he said that he plans to "write the script for the character, not for the actor."
“The fact is that Bond is a separate universe and franchise. Therefore, there are certain rules here, says Knight. — Of course, the plot needs to be developed, but I like the stage it is at now. I love that it's a British project. I like that it's not DC or Marvel... So I feel responsible for the script."
Who has already played James Bond?
Only six actors played the role of James Bond. The first was Sean Connery, who starred in six films in 1962-1971, in only one film - On Her Majesty's Secret Service in 1969 - he was played by George Lazenby, after which Roger Moore took over, who played 007 in seven films in 1973-1985, then in two films Timothy Dalton was Bond (1987-1989), he was replaced by Pierce Brosnan, who starred in four films (1995-2022), and finally in 2006-2021. Bond was Daniel Craig, who played Agent 007 in five films in the franchise.
The dates overlap here and there. This is because Connery returned to the role of Bond in 1971's Diamonds Are Forever, which came after Lazenby had starred in 1969's On Her Majesty's Secret Service. And Connery also starred in 1983's Never Say Never Again, a Bond film produced by another studio and not part of the official Bond series.
What other James Bond films are there and in what order were they made?
If you don't count the Bond films made outside the official franchise, there are 25 in total. Here they are in order of release:
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How might the new film differ from the previous ones?
With a change in ownership and a new creative team coming in, the new Bond film will likely start with a clean slate. Granted, given the way 2021's No Time To Die ended, it would be difficult to continue the story in chronological order, but producers still have plenty of options.
Creating an alternate version of James Bond that exists in a different universe would be a no-brainer in an era where audiences are accustomed to major movie franchises being rebooted in a different reality or timeline.
The 26th Bond film, for example, could be set in a much earlier era, an idea that gained traction after writer-director Tony Gilroy (who wrote four films in the Jason Bourne franchise, among others) revealed that he and fellow director Steven Soderbergh had previously proposed making a Bond film set in the 1960s.
And actor Ralph Fiennes recently revealed that he was once in talks to play Bond and suggested that producers make a "black-and-white film noir version" set in the 1950s.
None of these ideas came to fruition, but the proposals were received positively by some Bond fans, who noted that a period film would help make the film more similar to the exploits of the character in Ian Fleming's books.
What exact form the next film will take will become clear later. In the meantime, fans are hoping that Christmas could come earlier than usual this year as the world eagerly awaits the imminent announcement of who will be 007's next lead.
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