Credit: Inside the MagicWhile casting details for Amazon MGM Studios’ upcoming James Bond movie reboot are virtually non-existent, we know that the search for the next actor to play 007 following Daniel Craig’s five-film tenure is now officially underway, with Nina Gold reportedly leading the hunt.
Who Is the Next James Bond?
Countless actors have been floated as potential candidates, particularly over the past year, including Aaron Taylor-Johnson (28 Years Later), Idris Elba (Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw), Callum Turner (Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them), Henry Cavill (Man of Steel), Austin Butler (Elvis), and Tom Holland (Spider-Man: Brand New Day).
However, reports suggest the studio is targeting an unknown British male actor in their late 20s or early 30s, which instantly rules out any of these big names.
All we know for certain besides the fact that the audition process has begun is that Denis Villeneuve, the man behind the Dune films (the third chapter is out later this year), is directing, and Steven Knight (the creator of Peaky Blinders) is on script duties, while David Heyman (the Harry Potter films) and Amy Pascal (Spider-Man: Homecoming) are onboard as producers.
As for who will don the iconic tux and pick up the PPK, that remains to be seen. Whoever it ends up being will follow in the footsteps of Daniel Craig, who starred in Casino Royale (2006), Quantum of Solace (2008), Skyfall (2012), Spectre (2015), and No Time to Die (2021).
They will become the seventh actor to play James Bond in film, following Sean Connery, Roger Moore, George Lazenby, Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan, and Craig.
Related: The Next James Bond Is Officially a Teenager, Young New 007 Actor Confirmed
Amazon MGM’s Reboot Could Cast Multiple Actors as 007
But what if the untitled reboot (dubbed James Bond 26) has more than one actor playing the world-famous MI6 secret agent? Historically, only one man has taken up the mantle in each film, but it’s possible Amazon MGM’s will feature two, or perhaps even multiple actors, playing 007.
Rather than introducing audiences to Bond as an already established MI6 veteran, the studio could decide to tell the story of how he became the iconic spy in the first place.
In film, the character has never really had an origin story. Even Casino Royale introduced him after earning his 00 status, while No Time to Die closed the book on Craig’s version of the character entirely. Amazon MGM now has a rare opportunity to start at the very beginning.
For the first time in Bond’s history on the big screen, we may get something more akin to a biopic than a traditional spy caper. As such, several actors would be required to play the character throughout multiple stages of his life, from his childhood years, to Eton, to his early days as an MI6 recruit, and eventually to his life as the seasoned superspy audiences know today.
We’ll just have to wait and see what happens; however, across the wider franchise, this is already happening — it’s just a case of piecing different Bond media together.
There’s 007 First Light, the third-person action-adventure video game from IO Interactive that launched in May and stars Patrick Gibson (Dexter: Original Sin) as a young Royal Navy air crewman recruited into MI6’s Double O program, and Charlie Higson’s first Young Bond novel SilverFin is being adapted into an audio dramatization, with 24-year-old Isaac Rouse playing a teenage Bond during his time at Eton.
What do you think about this idea? Share your thoughts with us in the comments!
