Since Agent 007 first graced the silver screen in 1962, the suave and sophisticated British Secret Service agent has been portrayed by quite a few actors. From Sean Connery to Pierce Brosnan, each James Bond has seamlessly continued the fun and perilous assignments in their own way. This generation's Bond, Daniel Craig, will soon make his last appearance with the tentatively titled Bond 25, with an exciting new director at its helm. Cary Fukunaga, who directed True Detective Season 1 and Netflix's recent mini-series Maniac, has taken over the project and looks to be placing careful focus on how to sew up the loose ends for Craig's Bond. Here's what he said:
In his first Bond movie, Casino Royale, [Daniel Craig] brought an incredible amount of vulnerability and humanity to the character, which was a big shift from Pierce Brosnan's run. In terms of what I can bring to change the character, Bond is on a character arc that started with Casino Royale, and I will be carrying that on. There will be changes, I am sure. As in any story, a character has to change in order [to have] a narrative.
It's true. Before Daniel Craig came into the picture, James Bond was more-so a cornball action hero with memorable tag-lines and dangerously over-the-top moves. Craig modernized the role with a more dramatic and brooding performance, so one would expect that his last outing would wrap up his character in a way not seen in the other Bond films.
In Cary Fukunaga's interview with Philippine Daily Inquirer, the Bond 25 director said the screenplay by Bond film regulars Neal Purvis and Robert Wade hasn't been finished yet, but sorting out the narrative is his priority right now. Fukunaga wants to make sure they have a good story to tell before moving to production, set to begin this March.
Bond 25 has had a rocky start, since original director Danny Boyle left the project due to creative differences back in August. Now with Cary Fukunaga and the original screenwriters onboard, who also penned the last six Bond films, it looks like Bond 25 is getting back on track and has some incredible potential. Per Fukunaga's comments, it looks like he understands Daniel Craig's take on the character and will certainly add in his unique directing style full of compassionate performances and gritty cinematic choices.
With Bond 25 still in early development, there's little we know about the details of the project as of now. Cary Fukunaga did shoot down rumors regarding if Christoph Waltz's Blofeld and Ben Whishaw's Q will return -- he didn't confirm or deny their return, but didn't say it's not possible for them to return to the franchise. You can look forward to seeing Daniel Craig return as 007 in Bond 25, set to release on Valentine's Day in 2020.
