As you likely know, I’ve spent a great deal of time on this blog discussing and evaluating all 23 official James Bond pictures. This was capped off by ranking all 23 007 entries from #1 to #23. Additionally, I’ve named my top (00) 7 Bond Villains, Bond Girls, and Bond Theme Songs.
With all the films blogged about, this leads to what could my last 007 Files post for awhile. It begins with a natural question: What is the future of the James Bond franchise?
For the immediate future, the answer appears clear. Daniel Craig has achieved worldwide acclaim for his portrayal of the super agent. Last year’s Skyfall reached new heights at the box office, as it grossed over a billion dollars around the globe.
As much as moviegoers love Craig, we must look at Father Time. I didn’t realize this until I began writing the blog post, but today marks the actor’s 45th birthday. For some context, Sean Connery was 41 when he made his last official entry, Diamonds Are Forever. He would return 12 years later in the unofficial Bond pic Never Say Never Again (a film I will get around to writing a post about eventually). Timothy Dalton was 45 when his second and last entry Licence to Kill came out. Pierce Brosnan was 49 when his finale, Die Another Day, was released in 2002. The exception to the 40s rule was Roger Moore, who finally gave up the role at age 57 in A View to a Kill. Moore was criticized for staying in the role too long.
If we assume that we’ll get a new Bond feature every 2-3 years (which seems likely), I would guess we are at precisely the mid-point of Mr. Craig’s tenure as 007. Three more Craig entries would have him playing the role into his early-mid fifties. I simply don’t think he’ll go beyond that.
Imagining there are three more Craig/Bond films, this begs another question: How good will they be? The immediate follow-up, possibly coming out in late 2014, has giant shoes to fill. It will suffer endless comparisons to Skyfall, just as Quantum of Solace was compared to Casino Royale.
At the end of Skyfall, we could see the direction the franchise was heading towards with Naomie Harris as Moneypenny, Ralph Fiennes as the new M, and even a young Q. While Quantum was a direct sequel to Casino, Skyfall was a self-contained picture. I suspect that’s what the producers will do from now on. There had been talk of shooting the next two entries back-to-back. This idea has since been scrapped for now. It’s not hard to figure out why the producers wanted to do this. They wish to maximize their use of Mr. Craig for as many pictures as possible. Rumor has it that it was Skyfall director Sam Mendes who squashed the back-to-back notion in order for him to say yes to returning to the director’s chair. If this turns out true, Mendes will be the first director to helm back-to-back Bond adventures since John Glen, who directed every 007 pic in the 1980s.
Bottom line: the next seven to nine years seems secure in Bond world, with a beloved 007 playing the lead. It’s what comes after that which will be truly intriguing. Yes, there will be a new Bond at some point. And I feel sorry for whomever it is. George Lazenby was relentlessly criticized for his portrayal. While much of this was deserved, there’s no question part of it was due to audiences not wanting to let Sean Connery go. Even Craig’s initial casting was met with disappointment from Bond fans, as many were pleased with Mr. Brosnan and leery of a new 007. Those fears quickly dissipated with the release of Casino Royale.
Whatever actor is cast as the next Bond will unquestionably face enormous scrutiny from a public who will not want to let Craig go. It’s up to producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael Wilson to hit their casting out of the park, just as they did with Craig.
And while there are certainly many more questions to be discussed, one thing seems certain. The Bond franchise is going nowhere. Not in the short term. And not in the long term.
On a final note, I would encourage all Bond lovers to watch the documentary Everything Or Nothing, released late last year. The feature length documentary was made to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the franchise. It has interviews with all six Bonds, the producers, writers, directors, and many more. Everything Or Nothing is required viewing for those of us who’ve grown to love the series. I highly recommend it and you can catch it on Netflix right now.
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