As one of the longest-running movie franchises, James Bond has been through many upheavals since the days of Sean Connery. It’s just part of the course for a new Bond to come along every few years. And that has never been clearer as No Time to Die is only weeks away from being released. With the film serving as Daniel Craig’s swan song, talks of who will replace him have accelerated over the past year. There have been many opinions on rumored frontrunners, but Casino Royale director Martin Campbell spoke up about finding Craig’s replacement.
There’s so much that goes into finding the next James Bond. Having directed Daniel Craig in a Bond film, Martin Campbell knows the ins and outs of the historic franchise. So if anyone knows about the pressure of making a flashy Bond introduction, it’s Campbell. The Casino Royale director gave some insight into a typical Bond cycle.
And, normally, Bond's cycle is two years or three years. Every two years, it used to be a new Bond would come out. I think with Daniel Craig going, I think with the one that they've got on the shelf that I think is coming out the end of October, I'm not sure, but they've given a date for it and they've had two false starts already.
As Campbell explained, there are generally long stretches between Bond films. So, it allows Eon Productions and Universal Pictures to find the best candidate. This is what happened when Daniel Craig took over from Pierce Brosnan as cinema’s most suave spy. Given the delays associated with No Time to Die, it seemed to have complicated the search for a new Bond. 007 fans can expect sometime before Craig’s replacement is announced.
Given the pandemic, Martin Campbell seemed to be warning fans about the long wait. Campbell told ComicBook the nature of James Bond cycles dictates how long the search will be. The Protégé director said about the entire process of producing another Bond film:
So I think they'll get that out and then they'll just take a big deep breath and it'll probably be maybe another three years before the next one comes out because they have to cast a new Bond and that takes some breaking in. And it has to be scripted and everything else. So, now that Daniel's gone, of course, where do you go with it? That's the other question.
With every switch from one Bond to another, there is an awkward period where fans and moviegoers wonder and cast who the next James Bond. Given the acclaim Daniel Craig received during his tenure, the next actor will have some big shoes to fill. So it will presumably be some time before a new Bond will be announced given current circumstances. Until a new Bond comes along, you can check out Daniel Craig’s final bow No Time to Die when it arrives in theaters on Oct. 8.
