Summary
The future of the James Bond franchise has been discussed candidly by a producer. The official movie franchise, which is adapted from and inspired by the James Bond novels and short stories by Ian Fleming, began in 1962 with Dr. No, which starred Sean Connery as the suave superspy James Bond. Over the years, the lead character was recast several times, with the most recent actor to portray Bond being Daniel Craig, whose tenure in the franchise lasted from 2006’s Casino Royale through 2021’s No Time To Die.
The Guardian recently sat down for an interview with producer Barbara Broccoli, who discussed the behind-the-scenes concerns over reinventing the franchise yet again. The star and title of the next James Bond movie have not yet been revealed, and Broccoli said that “we haven’t even begun” reinventing the character. She shared that “these movies reflect the time they are in,” and updating the story for modern times has provided them with a challenge that they are taking their time on. Read her full quote below:
I go back to GoldenEye when everyone was saying “the cold war is over, the wall is over, Bond is dead, no need for Bond, the whole world’s at peace and now there’s no villains,” and boy was that wrong!
[Modernization is necessary for any new Bond actor. With Daniel Craig, we] wanted to focus on what a 21st-century hero would look like. Daniel gave us the ability to mine the emotional life of the character … and also the world was ready for it. I think these movies reflect the time they are in, and there’s a big, big road ahead reinventing it for the next chapter and we haven’t even begun with that.
How Daniel Craig’s James Bond Reflected the 21st Century
As Broccoli points out, Daniel Craig’s Bond did provide a much more modern version of the character, designed for the 21st century. This included a stronger focus on realism in both the action and the development of the world around Bond. Instead of putting him at the center of more arch, campy spy adventures, the Daniel Craig James Bond movies were gritty and featured more intense, intimate violence, also showcasing the character’s new ability to perform Parkour stunts.
The Craig run of movies also featured a stronger continuity, with more consistent James Bond characters. While the other figures in Bond’s life, including the tech genius Q and the MI6 Chief M, were frequently played by consistent actors over the years, the new iteration of the franchise featured much more impact of the events of previous movies on the actions of these characters. This was all in addition to the more emotional Bond mentioned by Broccoli, whose origins and backstory play more of a key role in his development as a character.
It remains to be seen how the next James Bond movie adapts itself to reflect the new era of filmmaking around it. Interconnected universes are now all the rage thanks to the success of Marvel Cinematic Universe, and the world has changed considerably in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Either of these factors, or any of hundreds more around the world, could influence the direction in which the new movie goes, which could account for the long time it has taken to decide on details for Bond 26.
Source: The Guardian
