Nobody Is In The Running For The Next James Bond Just Yet, Next Movie Is Years Away
It's true: everyone is dying to see who will become the next James Bond. However, it seems we're going to have to wait a significant while longer to find out what is in store for the beloved spy and who will play him, according to Barbara Broccoli, legendary producer of the 007 films.
"Nobody's in the running," she told Deadline. "We're working out where to go with him, we're talking that through. There isn't a script and we can't come up with one until we decide how we're going to approach the next film because, really, it's a reinvention of Bond. We're reinventing who he is and that takes time. I'd say that filming is at least two years away."
Two years is quite a while — meaning we won't get another Bond film until at least 2025 — and it will give us even more time to speculate and fan cast in the interim. So far, popular celebs like "Euphoria" star Jacob Elordi and "Bridgerton" star Rege-Jean Page have been rumored to be taking the lead in the iconic franchise, while fan favorite Idris Elba has consistently kept his name in the conversation now that there's finally an opening following Daniel Craig's departure from the role. Hell, I've even seen calls for Harry Styles to be cast as 007. So, in short, who knows what direction (pun intended) they'll go in for the next incarnation.
In September 2021, longtime Bond casting director Debbie McWilliams revealed that she is always looking for the next leading man. "Sort of maybe," she joked in an interview with Entertainment Weekly. "But until I'm hired and I'm paid for it... Obviously, one's keeping one's eyes open all the time. That's part of the job, just being aware of who's who and where they are in their career. It's going to be very, very hard I must say [to cast the next one]."
It's 00-Difficult to cast 007
No matter who the Broccoli family and Miss McWilliams decide should be in the hot seat at the end of the day, every person who tests for the role of James Bond is going to be put through the wringer. The casting director opened up about the audition process:
"It's a pretty rigorous process, it goes on for quite a considerable time. Lots of people are considered and then rejected for one reason or another. Then it comes down to two or three choices and those people usually have to do a screen test, they have to do a stunt assessment, and they have to meet everybody. It's a committee decision between the producers, the studio, and the director, but it's usually very much down to the Broccoli family [who run Eon Productions, the company that produces the James Bond film series]. They're pretty much in control. But I don't think they've ever cast someone who the studio absolutely didn't want them to cast. It's not something that happens overnight, shall we say."
As for the kind of man they're looking for? Someone who can "hold their own," according to McWilliams. "Attractive, physical, capable of taking on not just the part but all the razzmatazz that goes with it," she added. "It's quite a tall order and it can live on with somebody for long after they've played the part, although I think it's not so defining now as it used to be. I think some people got very much stuck with it and others have managed, particularly if they've chosen good projects other than Bond, where they're seen as just a very good actor rather than just being James Bond."