THE producer of James Bond has said “no one is in the running” for the role of the next 007.
Since Daniel Craig’s departure after No Time To Die was confirmed, there has been much speculation regarding who the next 007 will be.
It comes in the wake of rumours that Michael Fassbender, Aidan Turner and Cillian Murphy have all been rumoured to be in the running alongside Idris Elba, Tom Hardy, Tom Holland and Regé-Jean Page for the coveted role.
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But franchise producer Barbara Broccoli confirmed that no one is in the running and production on the 26th Bond movie is at least two years away – if not longer.
She told Deadline: “Nobody’s in the running,” when asked about Craig’s successor. “We’re working out where to go with him, we’re talking that through. 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.”
Four years separated the release of Pierce Brosnan’s final Bond outing, 2002’s Die Another Day, and Craig’s debut, 2006’s Casino Royale, several names have been thrown out as possible replacements for Craig, including a host of Irish actors.
But Broccoli stressed the search hasn’t even begun in an official capacity, saying the search for the next Bond would not even begin until well into 2022.
Whichever actor does replace Craig will have a lot riding on his shoulders. Craig successfully revitalized the Bond franchise with his five-film run. Skyfall earned over $1 billion at the worldwide box office, while Spectre and No Time to Die were also heavy hitters with €915M and €830M, respectively.
“It’s a big decision,” Broccoli told Variety earlier this year at the opening of the Craig-starring Macbeth on Broadway.
“It’s not just casting a role. It’s about a whole rethink about where we’re going,” she added at the time.
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