Barbara Broccoli, the custodian of the James Bond franchise, has spoken out about casting the next 007 – and delivered a brief tease of what to expect.
Daniel Craig’s tenure as Bond was legendary: 15 years, five movies (two of which – Casino Royale and Skyfall – belong in the franchise’s Mount Rushmore of films), the highest box office receipts, and fans of all ages who believe he’s the best actor to ever don the tux.
His run was also quietly and devastatingly revolutionary: it was the first Bond to get a proper character arc with an overarching story – not to mention the small matter of his death (it turns out there was Time to Die).
In other words, Broccoli, Michael G. Wilson and co. have a daunting task ahead of them. They need to pick a new star to fill Craig’s shoes and plot out a new direction for cinema’s most iconic secret agent. Aaron Taylor-Johnson has been connected to the role for months, but his casting hasn’t been confirmed.
Speaking to the Associated Press, Broccoli said choosing the next Bond is a “big decision.”
However, she did give up a few details. “It will be a man. He’ll likely be in his 30s. Whiteness is not a given. And whoever says yes is doing so with the expectation of at least a decade’s worth of films,” the outlet wrote.
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This echoes what Broccoli has said previously, telling Variety in 2020: “James Bond can be of any color, but he is male… you think of him as being from Britain or the Commonwealth, but Britain is a very diverse place.”
“I believe we should be creating new characters for women – strong female characters. I’m not particularly interested in taking a male character and having a woman play it. I think women are far more interesting than that.”
Broccoli also said whoever plays the eighth Bond will be looking at a 10-year commitment, if not even longer.
Find out everything we know about Bond 26 so far, as well as updates on Project 007, and Taylor-Johnson’s last response to the 007 rumors.
