Bond 26 (2024)

My prediction of EON announcing a new actor on Global James Bond Day (Oct 5th) still stands. I could very well be wrong, but I have to imagine EON and MGM/Amazon would want to take advantage of that kind of PR announcing a new Bond on the 60th anniversary of DR. NO.

Let the speculation begin…most of my recent preferences are too old now. Craig was so craggy, I think they’ll go attractive this time. But someone new, who I probably don’t know.

Tom Ellis of Lucifer fame! Can bring back some of the charming spy.

Or, Rege Jean-Page, for the ladies.

At this point I don’t really have a preference for who should be Bond. I’ll wait for the rumors of auditions and work from there.

I think they'll announce a new actor this October too, ahead of a 2023 shoot. I also wouldn't be shocked if Fukunaga comes back to direct.

I won't bother to guess who it will be, beyond saying that's it'll be someone currently in their mid-to-late 30s who isn't currently tied to some other big film (or TV) contract. Broccoli & Wilson have already stated that whoever it is will need to headline the franchise for at least a decade, so there's no point in entertaining the notion of older actors or them doing a shorter run with someone.

I know Henry Cavill is a popular choice, but I just don't see them going for him. Even setting aside his Superman fame (and the chance that he dons the cape again), I think the simple fact that he's already done The Man From UNCLE, M:I - Fallout, and Matthew Vaughn's upcoming superspy flick Argylle will instantly remove him from the running. EON isn't going to want James Bond to be the FOURTH superspy that someone plays.

Rege-Jean Page is signed to play The Saint for Paramount in a new film, so unless that falls through, that'll remove him from the running too.

Kit Harrington is tied down to a Marvel contract, so that'll be a no-go as well. Not sure about Richard Madden.

I agree that I think they'll announce something related to BOND 26 in October.

The Schlocketeer wrote:

Kit Harrington is tied down to a Marvel contract, so that'll be a no-go as well. Not sure about Richard Madden.

Harrington's a bit on the short side as well, no?

Madden could be an interesting choice.

Nicholas Hoult would be smashing, I think.

Hoult is someone who I bet actually ends up being in the running. He's got some TV fame to him and has done big movies, but leans more towards the character actor side of things. I could see Barbara Broccoli finding him an appealing candidate. In the end it'll come down to the tone & style they chose for the next run and how auditions go, but I'd say he's got an actual shot if he wants it. Certainly moreso the a lot of the other names that often get bandied about.

He's a tad younger, of course. He'll turn 33 this year. But if they want someone who can be Bond for the next decade and a half again (albeit with more films to their name), then mid-30s is probably the way to go. Plus they might want someone with a younger energy to them after 16 years of (I say this lovingly) a cranky & surly Craig.

Madden and Hoult would both be acceptable candidates to me.

Oliver Jackson Cohen as Bond!

Hoult would be a great choice if they want to go with a more actual-espionage focussed Bond, one who has to wit and charm his way out if situations, maybe - I dunno - blend in for once? before having to blast his way out.

I think Hoult can do both suave/nuanced and brutal/physical aspects of Bond pretty well. His performance i two seasons of THE GREAT displayed an incredible range for him, including physical menace AND charm.

That said, and I haven't done the searching for it, I'm also up for Bond being Black...but I doubt that will happen.

Doc Happenin wrote:

Hoult would be a great choice if they want to go with a more actual-espionage focussed Bond, one who has to wit and charm his way out if situations, maybe - I dunno - blend in for once? before having to blast his way out.

For better or worse, I doubt we ever see this sort of Bond, at least from EON.

Bond has never *really* been a spy in the films. He's a fixer. An assassin who gets handled a dossier and sent off to wreck havoc on an already-researched target. To use debt collection as analogy, the lower level spies are the bill notices you get in the mail. Bond is the bruiser who, when you see him at you door, you know you've fucked up and are about to get some broken bones or lose fingers. He's never sent to be subtle. If Bond is on your tail, it's because England has decided that the time for subtlety has passed.

My choices for the next Bond are: Tom Hiddleston, Dan Stevens or Tom Mison.

Hiddleston and Stevens are also acceptable to me.

Hiddleston is longhauling it as Loki, so while I think he'd be solid in the role, I'd say that removes him from the running. There's no way in hell that EON wants to plan their films around the scheduling whims of Marvel Studios.

Tom Mison! Oh man, that'd be excellent. In the Sleepy Hollow days, I was desperately pulling for him to be Dr. Strange. He's be a solid Bond and can be the 'this relatively unknown gets pulled up to stardom'.

Stop wasting my time, Barbara.  You had an 18-month delay to think about this stuff.  I'd like to see some sense of urgency, especially because I would wager the extreme gap between SPECTRE and NO TIME TO DIE played a role in NTTD's soft-ish box office in America; in the era of the MCU, I think U.S. audiences want a more consistent timetable.

I sure do, anyway.

“Take some time” is vague enough to mean sooner or later. I wouldn’t worry too much. If it’s the latter half of 2023 and there’s still no news, THEN I’d be concerned. Right now I’m opting to be patient, and not expecting any news of Bond 26, with Oct 5th being the earliest possible news break.

I’ve seen a lot of fans get upset over this, but this is what needs to be considered: She was asked Bond questions during a Broadway production starring Daniel Craig. It would be very poor form she started spouting out definite answers about a Bond 26, as that would overshadow the rest of the night. When EON talks Bond it’ll be at the right time and the right place.

Stockslivevan wrote:

I’ve seen a lot of fans get upset over this, but this is what needs to be considered: She was asked Bond questions during a Broadway production starring Daniel Craig. It would be very poor form she started spouting out definite answers about a Bond 26, as that would overshadow the rest of the night.

That's fair.

Of course, I tend to think their time producing a play for Craig could have been better spent getting development of BOND 26 rolling!

The Schlocketeer wrote:

I also wouldn't be shocked if Fukunaga comes back to direct.

*takes look at latest Fukunaga chatter*

Ummm, nevermind. Fucking yikes.

That ugliness aside, I guarantee they've had Purvis & Wade quietly working on a treatment for BOND 26 for awhile now. They always play coy and try to deny shit.

"Robert Eggers' James Bond"

:: goes to the bank, takes out a loan, tosses it to Barbara ::

I mean, while we're just airing our fantasies. In all seriousness, think they keep Purvis/Wade?

Oh, absolutely. They'll at least have them do the first treatment. And then they'll farm it out to someone else (Haggis? Logan? Waller-Bridge? All of the above?) to flesh it out more.

And then probably have Purvis & Wade do a final uncredited pass. Like they almost always do. There isn't a single Bond script since 1999 that they haven't touched in some way. I doubt that changes anytime soon.

Aah. Didn't know that. Figured they might want to shake up the guard. But then again, why'd they get rid of that cash cow?

For funsies, a list of the screenwriters (credited and uncredited) who worked on each Craig film...

Casino Royale:
- Neal Purvis & Robert Wade
- Paul Haggis

Quantum of Solace:
- Neal Purvis & Robert Wade
- Paul Haggis
- Daniel Craig & Marc Forster (uncredited)
- Joshua Zetumer (uncredited)

Skyfall:
- Peter Morgan (uncredited)
- Neal Purvis & Robert Wade
- Jez Butterworth (uncredited)
- John Logan

Spectre:
- John Logan
- Neal Purvis & Robert Wade
- Jez Butterworth

No Time to Die:
- Neal Purvis & Robert Wade
- Paul Haggis (uncredited)
- Cary Fukunaga
- Scott Z. Burns (uncredited)
- Phoebe Waller-Bridge

They really do love working with the same people whenever possible.

(I left out John Hodge, because as far as I know, the Boyle/Hodge script was completely tossed. Once Boyle bounced, they chucked it and went back to the original treatment that Purvis & Wade had done before Boyle joined the project. Then everyone slowly rewrote that one.)