Credit: MGM/EON ProductionsThere’s a lot going on in the world of James Bond lately. Not only has IO Interactive’s action-adventure video game 007 First Light been a commercial and critical success since it was released on May 27, but Amazon MGM Studios’ film reboot is officially in early development.
New James Bond Content
The upcoming film, helmed by director Denis Villeneuve (Dune), written by Steven Knight (Peaky Blinders), and produced by David Heyman (the Harry Potter films) and Amy Pascal (Spider-Man: Homecoming), has no release date yet, nor have any plot details been shared.
But the studio has confirmed that the hunt for the new 007 has begun, with casting director Nina Gold reportedly leading the search for a new actor to take up the mantle following Daniel Craig’s exit in 2021’s No Time to Die.
Meanwhile, several James Bond novels are also being rolled out; some of them having already been released, with others arriving later this year.
While none of that concerns casting directly; however, not only do we have a new Bond in 007 First Light‘s Patrick Gibson, but now, yet another new Bond has been cast.
Another New 007 Has Been Cast
A new Bond has been cast in an official audio drama series.
Earlier this year, per Radio Times, Big Finish Productions announced that the novel Young Bond: SilverFin would be developed into an audio series. This week, Collider reported that Isaac Rouse had been cast as the young Bond, which has now been confirmed by the studio involved via its official website.
Rouse, best known for his role as Ollie Chadwyck-Healey in The Crown Season 6, is 24 years old, making him one of the youngest actors ever to portray James Bond in an official production. He is joined by fellow British actor Charlotte McBurney, who plays the character Wilder Lawless.
Young Bond: SilverFin Part 1
Titled Young Bond: SilverFin Part 1, the audio drama series adapts Charlie Higson’s 2005 book, which was followed by the sequels Blood Fever, Double or Die, Hurricane Gold, and By Royal Command, all of which were written by the author.
The series continued under Steve Cole, with the titles Shoot to Kill, Heads You Die, Strike Lightning, and Red Nemesis.
The audio series adapts SilverFin across 16 half-hour episodes, split into two box sets for roughly eight hours of drama.
What’s SilverFin About?
“On his first day at his new school, James Bond is about to make his very first enemy, and is soon plunged into a deadly adventure that will take him from the playing fields of Eton to the murky waters of Loch Silverfin…,” the website’s description states, adding, “A monstrous secret lurks beneath its icy surface… a secret that threatens to plunge the world into a new era of warfare.”
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When it came to auditions, writer/director Barnaby Edwards said Rouse “was the best of the best.”
“When you’re looking for someone to portray the icon that is Bond, you’ve got to get it right, so we cast the net wide,” he said. “I listened to audio auditions from over 500 young hopefuls, from which we selected 12 to bring into studio and put through their paces. We had some truly wonderful Bonds on that day – some famous, some unknown – but Isaac was the best of the best.
“His vision of Bond chimed so precisely with that of [Ian] Fleming and Higson. He was the Bond of the books: tough but vulnerable, intelligent, witty, loyal, with a keen sense of justice and a strong dislike of bullies. Isaac is also a great leading man to work with. I genuinely cannot imagine a better actor to play Young Bond. It was very much a case of nobody does it better.”
Release Date
Part 1 will be available in October. It’s now available for pre-order.
Charlie Higson also has a new novel releasing titled King Zero, an adult story set within the same continuity as the Young Bond series, which hits shelves on September 24.
Will you be listening to the upcoming audio drama? Or are you more excited about the new film? And have you played First Light yet? Let us know in the comments!
