The Real Reason A New James Bond Hasn't Been Chosen Just Yet
Following the release of the upcoming "No Time to Die," current series star Daniel Craig will step down from his role as James Bond. Craig's reasons for retiring from the role seem simple enough — in an Esquire interview in which Craig detailed his decision, he described wanting a break from some of the rigors inherent in starring in tentpole blockbuster films. Moving forward, he would prefer to have the time to "come home, eat something and then go to bed," which he characterized as essentially impossible amidst making a film like "Skyfall" or "Spectre."
Of course, Craig's departure will certainly not mean the end of Bond films altogether, but simply a changing of the guard. Fans of the franchise have proposed a variety of actors they would like to see inherit the role, including Henry Golding, Tom Hardy, and Idris Elba, among various other male actors with notable leading roles in their recent filmography.
Now, in the lead-up to the release of "No Time to Die," Bond movie producer Barbara Broccoli revealed why, even in the wake of Craig announcing his retirement from the role, the creative team behind the film series has yet to choose a replacement.
Daniel Craig defined the role anew
As recounted in an article by ScreenRant, Broccoli discussed Daniel Craig's retirement from portraying James Bond in the documentary "Being James Bond." The film is a 45-minute long original documentary on Apple TV (not Apple TV+) that chronicles Craig's tenure as the character, starting with his Bond debut in "Casino Royale" in 2006 and leading into the present day.
Broccoli shared her thoughts about the prospect of replacing Craig nearing the film's conclusion, amidst some insight into how Bond movies might continue in the wake of Craig's departure. "Daniel has taken the character, the series, the whole thing to a place that is so extraordinary, so emotionally satisfying that I cannot imagine Bond after Daniel," Broccoli says.
When Craig was first offered the Bond job, he turned it down vehemently. Among his objections was the fact that he didn't think himself capable of impersonating either of his most notable predecessors in Sean Connery and Pierce Brosnan. Of course, Craig didn't need to, instead making the character his own. Broccoli's reticence, then, is understandable — whoever inherits the role next will likely reshape the role considerably, as Craig did before, and Brosnan did before him. Simply put, adjusting to change can be difficult.
"No Time to Die," featuring Craig's final performance as James Bond, will premiere on October 8.