Ever since it was made clear that No Time To Die would be the last James Bond film in which Daniel Craig would be starring as 007, there has been ecstatic speculation on who his replacement would be. This debate has intensified in recent months given the new announcements made about the future of the franchise: Amazon Studios has acquired creative control of the saga, producers Amy Pascal and David Heyman will be shepherding the saga’s future, and Denis Villeneuve is set to direct the first installment. While rumors have suggested that Pascal and Heyman are looking for an actor under 30 years old to portray 007, Amazon needs to remember that Bond is inherently an older character.
The names floated as potential frontrunners for the role seem far-fetched, as Tom Holland, Jacob Elordi, and Harris Dickinson are all established stars who’ve worked on many award-nominated productions. Most of the previous actors cast as Bond had done some notable work before their first 007 film, but they were still relatively obscure to a vast majority of the audience; for example, Daniel Craig only just earned his breakout roles in Layer Cake and Munich before the release of Casino Royale. However, Ian Fleming’s source material dictates that Bond is already a veteran spy, and Amazon certainly does not need to tell another origin story.
The James Bond Franchise Does Not Need To Rush Production
Much of the concern about casting a young Bond has revolved around casting an actor that could feasibly appear in many films without aging out of the role. However, Bond actors have been unique in the number of films that they appeared in, as Sean Connery made six official EON productions, Roger Moore made seven, Timothy Dalton made two, Pierce Brosnan made four, and Craig made five. When looking at the long-term future of the franchise, it does make sense to not cast an actor in their late forties or fifties who would age out of the role too quickly, which rules out popular contenders like Idris Elba and Michael Fassbender. However, Craig was 38 years old when Casino Royale was released and still managed to play the character for well over another decade. Part of the appeal of the Bond franchise is getting to see the main actor age over time, as Moore, Connery, and Craig all ended their run as Bond after they were pushing middle age.
Perhaps casting a young actor with appeal to Generation X like Holland would help Amazon market the film to a broader audience, but Bond has been a franchise that traditionally targets older viewers. Even in an entertainment ecosystem where studios vie for “four quadrant” blockbusters that could appeal to the broadest possible set of viewers, there is still room for the success of PG-13 action films like Mission: Impossible—The Final Reckoning and F1, which have more mature sensibilities. Given that Bond is an alcoholic, womanizer, and cynic, it would feel incongruent with the source material to skew the film towards younger audiences. It also wouldn’t be a detriment to the financial future of the franchise; Skyfall, considered to be one of the darkest and most intense installments in the entire saga, is still the highest-grossing Bond film of all time, and the only one that has crossed the $1 billion mark at the global box office.
Considering that the Bond of Fleming’s novels has already earned enough experience working in MI6 to earn a license to kill, it wouldn’t make logical sense to have a younger Bond unless Amazon was doing an origin story. The issue is that Casino Royale is already a perfect origin story for Bond, as it was based on the first novel in Fleming’s series, and to take another stab at a prequel would feel repetitive. The incorporation of a slightly older Bond would also help to distinguish the new series from other spy franchises that tend to feature younger characters, such as Kingsman.
James Bond Needs To Be a Mature Character
Bond is a character who projects gravity and skepticism, as he is presented as a somewhat rebellious figure that has worked in MI6 long enough to become slightly disillusioned by the formal processes involved in achieving justice. This type of mature perspective is something that can only be achieved by age and experience, which is why the Bond series has traditionally targeted slightly older actors. At 29 years old, George Lazenby was the youngest actor to ever be cast as Bond, and part of the backlash that On Her Majesty’s Secret Service received was that he did not bring the same intensity to the role that Connery had. There seems to be a misconception regarding audience interest in seeing older actors at the forefront of action franchises, as Keanu Reeves, Charlize Theron, and Jason Statham have proven that age is not a hindrance when it comes to being a badass.
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The benefit of Villeneuve directing the Bond film is that he will draw in audiences, as even those with no prior interest in the franchise might be interested in the next feature from the Academy Award-nominated director of Dune, Arrival, Sicario, Blade Runner 2049, and Prisoners. Since Villeneuve has become a director like Christopher Nolan or Jordan Peele, who can draw in viewers based purely on his name, Amazon should have the freedom to cast the best actor possible for the role and then structure the film around them.
The actors cast as Bond have to encapsulate an entire generation and become synonymous with the role, as it’s not a character like Batman or Spider-Man in which viewers expect to see multiple versions within a short amount of time. It works best for the next Bond to be someone who does not have the baggage of other roles, as it may be distracting for viewers already used to seeing Holland as Peter Parker or Elordi as Nate Jacobs to associate them with 007. There is a lot riding on the future of Amazon, Bond, and action filmmaking in general based on who is selected, and it would be in everyone’s best interests to find an actor who best represents the appropriate age range for the character.
