Ever since Daniel Craig finished his 007 stint in No Time To Die, fans have been speculating far and wide as to which actor will play him next. The internet is full of ‘rumored’ casting and fan-favorite actors ready to take on the challenge but James Bond producer Barbara Broccoli has different thoughts. In a recent chat with Deadline, the celebrated producer disclosed that it will be “at least two years“ before the next 007 movie begins filming and that the task of finding Craig's replacement hasn’t begun.
No Time To Die marked Craig’s fifth and final movie as 007, as was also the twenty-fifth in the Bond franchise. The movie was directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga from a screenplay by Neal Purvis, Robert Wade, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, and Fukunaga. The movie also introduced Lashana Lynch as the first Black 007. Further, it went on to collect $774.2 million at the worldwide box office along with three Oscar nominations and a win for Best Original Song for Billie Eilish and Finneas O'Connell. Whoever is going to follow Craig’s act has pretty big shoes to fill.
When probed about who’s in the running for the next Bond Broccoli revealed, “Nobody’s in the running. We’re working out where to go with him, we’re talking that through.” Further adding,
There isn’t a script and we can’t come up with one until we decide how we’re going to approach the next film because, really, it’s a reinvention of Bond. We’re reinventing who he is and that takes time. I’d say that filming is at least two years away.
For the better part of the last two decades, Craig has played the beloved MI6 agent. He took over from Pierce Brosnan in 2006’s Casino Royale, continuing with Quantum of Solace (2008), Skyfall (2012), Spectre (2015), and No Time to Die (2021). However, there seemed a time when it almost felt like he was done with playing Bond after Spectre. The actor revealed to Digital Spy, that he had long planned to kill his version off,
I said to Barbara [Broccoli], 'How many of these movies do I have to make?' because I don't really look at contracts or any of those things. And she said, 'Four,' and I went, 'Oh, okay. Can I kill him off in the last one?' And she didn't pause. She said, 'Yes'," he recalled in December 2021.
While Craig’s days as James Bond might be over, for his portrayal of the MI6 spy he was made a Companion of the Order of St. Michael and St. George (CMG) in the UK’s annual New Year Honours List this year.