Credit: MGM/EON ProductionsThe James Bond franchise is preparing to churn out lots of new content, including the upcoming third-person action-adventure video game “007 First Light”, which stars Patrick Gibson (Dexter: Original Sin) as the MI6 secret agent. And, of course, the film reboot from director Denis Villeneuve (Dune: Part Two) and writer Steven Knight (Peaky Blinders).
Naturally, with Daniel Craig not returning for Bond 26, it is generally assumed that the film will be yet another reboot for the franchise, as continuity resets are perfectly normal whenever a new actor takes up the mantle of 007. Sean Connery, George Lazenby, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan — each actor loosely represents a standalone canon.
However, a recent report from Radar Online suggests that the next movie may actually take place within the Craig timeline, as a source allegedly close to production claims that writers are “tearing their hair out” trying to bring James Bond back from the dead.
Of course, this is likely false information for a number of reasons, with the first being the fact that a new actor will play Bond (this is confirmed) meaning the continuity will start again anyway — after all, it’s not like they’re trying to bring Craig‘s version of the character back.
Not only that, but Bond was blown to smithereens at the end of No Time to Die (2021), the final chapter in the Craig era. We even see his vital signs read negative in a following scene.
Even if supporting actors such as Ben Whishaw (Q), Naomie Harris (Moneypenny), and Ralph Fiennes (M/Mallory) return, that doesn’t mean the continuity will be the same, as a number of actors have appeared across different timelines throughout the Bond franchise.
So, it would seem that Daniel Craig’s Bond really is dead. And here’s hoping he is, because what an emotionally-charged, poignant send-off it was. But there’s another version of 007 who’s now confirmed to be alive, despite there being some ambiguity in a previous outing.
Many Bond fans may not know that the films are based on novels by the late Ian Fleming. His first, “Casino Royale”, published in 1953, was the first of 14 titles (two are collections of short stories), with the last being “Octopussy and The Living Daylights” in 1966.
But Bond’s literary adventures didn’t die with Fleming — they’ve continued under various authors, including Raymond Benson, Sebastian Faulks, Charlie Higson, and Anthony Horowitz. And just like the James Bond films, they’re still ongoing.
In fact, next year will see the release of three new novels: Vaseem Khan’s “The Man with the Golden Compass”, the second entry in the new Q Mysteries series that debuted this year with “Quantum of Menace”; M.W. Craven’s “James Bond and the Secret Agent Academy”, a young-adult novel that sees 007 train young recruits at MI6; and “Hurricane Room”, the third book in Kim Sherwood’s series, following “Double or Nothing” and “A Spy Like Me.”
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While Khan’s sequel and Craven’s debut novel sound intriguing, eyes are on Sherwood’s trilogy-closer, as it will finally bring James Bond into that series, having been mostly absent during the events of the previous two books. Instead, those stories focused on other Double-O agents, including 003, Johanna Harwood, a former surgeon and girlfriend of Bond (she’s named after the screenwriter co-wrote Dr. No, From Russia With Love, and Goldfinger).
Now, the author has shared the opening pages of the book ahead of its release with People. The excerpt reveals that Bond is alive, but whether he’ll become center stage remains to be seen (unlikely given his absence from the Double O series so far). As for Harwood, who’s one of a few leading characters in Sherwood’s novels, here’s hoping she will end up being adapted to the big screen in Amazon MGM’s film reboot. A “female James Bond”, if you will.
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Sherwood recently took to Instagram to reveal the book’s cover, along with a statement:
“James Bond is Alive… Revealing the US cover for HURRICANE ROOM out May 2026. What do you think? The end of the trilogy, the hardest to write, my favourite book so far – so it’s fitting this is also my favourite cover of the #doubleo series. I had so many James Bond posters on my wall growing up featuring that famous silhouette and now it’s on a cover with my name, still mind-blowing. I can’t wait to share the very cool UK cover with you soon too, which takes its departure from the same starting point. I feel much more emotional about this than I anticipated – the final cover. Let’s end this trilogy with a bang – if every #jamesbond & #doubleo reader who sees this pre-orders a copy through your favorite bookshop (online or otherwise) we’ll shoot up the charts much like the rocket in Moonraker. Let’s goooooooo.”
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“Hurricane Room” will be released in May 2026.
“James Bond and the Secret Agent Academy” and “The Man With the Golden Compass” will be released in June 2026 and October 2026, respectively.
The video game “007 First Light” hits shelves in March.
Are you excited about all the upcoming James Bond content? How do you feel about the idea of a female 007? Let us know in the comments down below!