As Daniel Craig’s record setting run in the role of James Bond draws nearer to its close, the 007 fandom is eager to find out who his eventual successor will be. So far, the evasive nature of the producers at EON Productions has been steady, as No Time To Die is being given all the time in the world to be celebrated. However, after an interview that landed this weekend, longtime producer Barbara Broccoli admitted that the hunt for Craig’s James Bond replacement is finally expected to start in 2022.
Speaking with BBC Radio 4 (via Deadline), Broccoli pretty much confirmed the official position of herself, as well as EON Productions, when it comes to the future Bond. If you’re one of those fans who think a bottle of vodka will be blessed with the identity of the next James Bond as soon as director Cary Joji Fukunaga’s film is released, Barbara Broccoli’s statement might come as a shock to you. No Time To Die is only part of the reason for the hold up, as you’ll see in her statement below:
We want Daniel to have his time of celebration. Next year we’ll start thinking about the future.
Practically, it’s good to know that 2022 will see the official start to the search for the next James Bond. As the 60th anniversary of the cinematic saga will be celebrated next October, there will be plenty of other celebrations honoring the six men that have played the role up until this point. So it’s rather fitting that the 00-seventh person in the role will potentially be announced in 2022. Provided, of course, that Broccoli and co-producer/half-brother Michael G. Wilson intend to wrap the process by the end of the next year.
It’s important to remember that Barbara Broccoli said that 2022 is when EON Productions will “start” thinking about the future. So we might not even get an announcement in that frame of the calendar, depending on how events move throughout the 007 series’ victory lap, which will commence after No Time To Die has done its job. Though that sort of thinking won’t slow the world of betting odds any time soon, as we’ve already seen some wild developments there putting the martini before the shaker.
Who could forget the absolute certainty some had felt that Venom: Let There Be Carnage star Tom Hardy was already selected? It was around this time last year that Hardy’s casting was allegedly finalized, just waiting for the COVID-19 pandemic to subside long enough so that No Time To Die could be released, and his coronation practically announced. As anyone who’s followed Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson’s thoughts on Daniel Craig’s departure will tell you, that assumption couldn’t have been further from the truth.
The process of finding the next James Bond is an exacting exercise that can’t be rushed. Luckily, No Time To Die’s Royal Albert Hall premiere, as well as its UK opening, will take place this week. Giving fans the chance to parse out and discuss all of the events that are supposedly so emotional that we might be shedding tears, one would expect a buffer zone to sit with the end result. Make no mistake, the James Bond franchise will return, even though Daniel Craig will be bitterly, but sweetly, supporting whomever follows in his footsteps.
