James Bond has not been an easy franchise for years, decades perhaps. The latest incarnation of 007, played by Daniel Craig, took a turn from the classic incarnation of the character, ending in 2021 in ‘No time to die‘ and tragically. Now that Amazon owns the rightsis encountering a considerable obstacle to launching a new installment.
He died. The death of James Bond in ‘No Time to Die’, the last incarnation to date of the character, has generated an enormous creative challenge for Amazon MGM Studios, current owners of the rights. For the first time in sixty years, 007 died on screen after a missile attack and poisoning by nanobots. Now Steven Knight, creator of ‘Peaky Blinders’must find a way to continue the franchise while respecting that final death. What seemed like a bold ending has become the biggest obstacle to Bond’s future.
Dead end. According to sources close to the production, the franchise’s producers are “pulling out hair“because Bond did not disappear or fake his death, as he has done in other installments. He was literally torn to pieces before the viewer. To Anthony Horowitz, author of three recent Bond novels, It is not difficult to believe in these difficulties: “The last time we saw Bond he was poisoned and torn to pieces. It was a mistake, because Bond is a legend.”
Why is it a problem? There are authors who talk about the fact that a death scene as explicit as the one seen in the latest Bond film undermines the legendary nature of the character, who has lived an impossibly long arc of time (he fought in the Second World War, but remains fit today) and has changed his face as his performers rotated. This gives 007 a halo of a mythological hero, in the style of the classics, which clashes head-on with the idea of him dying. Furthermore, it is a decision with an economic ingredient: a reboot It would open the door to continuous and unconnected versions, which would devalue the brand. We must bear this death.
Where is the franchise? There is still little known information about this new installment: Denis Villeneuve, director of ‘Dune’, will direct this twenty-sixth Bond adventure, with Knight as screenwriter. In March 2025, Amazon MGM obtained complete creative control of the franchise after an agreement with Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson, ending decades of control by the Broccoli family, and the studio aims for a premiere in 2028. Casting is paralyzed until the problem of Bond’s death is resolved, but names like Tom Holland (finally discarded), Jacob Elordi and Aaron Taylor-Johnson (also discarded).
Possible solutions. With the franchise in danger, many fans and experts have provided possible solutions. The first is an idea that has always been floating around since it became clear that the character’s longevity was meaningless: “007” and “James Bond” are code names given to the best agent, and when one dies or retires the next one receives the title. Of course, there is the possibility of a complete reset. You can also propose a prequel and set the film, for example, in the sixties, showing Bond’s rise in MI6. EITHER use the already canonical character of Mathildethe daughter that Bond has with Madeleine Swann in ‘No Time to Die’, and changing the character’s gender.
GIPHY App Key not set. Please check settings