‘Bond’ Producers On Idris Elba and Casting Their Next Star

James Bond will be back, he’ll just look a little different when he finally returns. The last time fans saw the iconic secret agent on the big screen, he was doing something he’d never done before – dying, and closing out an emotional arc to finish off Daniel Craig’s tenure in the role. Producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson, who have been in charge of the Bond franchise since 1995’s GoldenEye, recently sat down with Variety to discuss what the future holds for 007 after such a definitive ending in 2021’s No Time To Die. The duo confirmed that their next leading man will be a “reinvention” of the character, something that became a necessity after Craig quote, “cracked Bond open emotionally”.

Broccoli explained a bit further with a resonating pull-quote, reflecting on the current times and looking at the years to come:

It’s an evolution. Bond is evolving just as men are evolving. I don’t know who’s evolving at a faster pace.

Barbara Broccoli

Wilson and Broccoli also joked about Craig’s infamous distaste of the franchise’s demanding time schedule and decades-long commitment, which the producers admitted will play a role in the casting process for their next film. They explained a star like Idris Elba, who fans have long been wanting for the role, would likely be too old or too busy to put aside so much of his life for the Bond films. The elaboration of their point also revealed the official casting probably won’t happen for a while:

The thing is, it’s going to be a couple of years off. And when we cast Bond, it’s a 10-, 12-year commitment. So [Elba] is probably thinking, ‘Do I really want that thing? Not everybody wants to do that. It was hard enough getting [Daniel Craig to do it].

Barbara Broccoli

Wilson then added in jokingly that Craig was also in his early 30s at the time of his casting, adding further fuel to the rumor that the studio is looking mainly at younger actors during their process. It’s become clear that whoever ends up as the next Bond will be around for the long haul, and will have to be prepared to focus on the franchise above all else for at least a decade of their career. Here’s hoping it doesn’t take too long before a face can be put to the world-famous name.

Source: Variety

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