Amazon announces search for next James Bond is underway, as Hollywood casting choices come under scrutiny
The James Bond franchise is one of the most popular and iconic film series in entertainment industry history. It's almost unquestionably the most unique franchise in Hollywood.
Starting in 1962, every "official" James Bond film has been produced by one company: Eon Films. And incredibly, Eon has remained under the control of one family, starting with Albert Broccoli. But Broccoli's daughter, Barbara, unexpectedly decided to sell control of the Bond properties, character, and future film developments to Amazon and MGM studios.
After years of creative control and stability from one company, Bond is now under the auspices of a major film studio. Run by a technology company more well known for the speed of its delivery services and web services platform.
Unsurprisingly, this is a major turning point for one of the most important characters and franchises in the business. The latest film in the series, "No Time to Die," had a stunning ending that closed the book on the Daniel Craig-version of the character. That was also five years ago.
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Amazon's since announced they're working on the next installment, which will be helmed by director Denis Villeneuve. Get this right, and it can set up more than a decade of films. Get it wrong, and the Bond series might follow in the footsteps of mishandled intellectual property like "Star Wars" and be greeted with apathy and disinterest.
Villeneuve was an outstanding choice, with an exceptional resume. "Arrival," "Sicario" and the "Dune" series have been critically and commercially successful. And more importantly, enjoyable to watch. But equally as important as the director is finding the right actor to play the legendary Bond character. That's where there remains considerable uncertainty.
And Amazon/MGM recently addressed it in perhaps the most unusual way possible. By announcing they're searching for a new actor with, well, zero details.
"The search for the next James Bond is underway," their post on X reads. "While we don’t plan to comment on specific details during the casting process, we’re excited to share more news with 007 fans as soon as the time is right."
Not exactly dripping with information, though it does align with reports that actor Tom Francis had auditioned for the role. Francis is 26, allowing for a lengthy runway for new movies. Several other rumored candidates include Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Jacob Elordi, among others.
Which raises the most important question: will Amazon mess this up?
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Casting decisions have become increasingly contentious recently, as Christopher Nolan's "The Odyssey" has come in for criticism for several choices he made. Obviously, political pressure and Hollywood's ideological leanings could lead to a total rethink of the character to take it further away from what book author Ian Fleming intended.
Announcing the start of the casting process is exciting, in a way, since the gap between films is already trending toward the largest in franchise history. Even if the character is cast now, a release is years away. Between the time it takes to ramp up production, shoot what will surely be a large scale film, complete post-production and marketing, then target a specific release date in a busy movie-going season, even a 2027 release date seems unlikely.
More important than dates though, is that Amazon stay true to the character. Stay true to the intention of the series and the author. The last thing the industry needs, as it fights for survival, is yet another "retelling" or "modern update" of a legendary property.
Hopefully Amazon has learned the lesson Disney and other studios taught them. Quite literally, there are billions of dollars and decades of future films at stake.