007 No More: With Craig Gone Who Will Be The Next James Bond?
With the shocking but not totally unexpected news that Daniel Craig has blown up his last SPECTRE base as James Bond speculation has begun concerning who’ll take over the role. Casting suggestions have been all over the Internet ever since Craig’s four picture deal was coming to a close and he expressed some displeasure about his time shooting SPECTRE. In an interview with Time Out, Craig revealed that the experience was like chewing glass. Whether he was serious or joking around with the interviewer, his comments weren’t a ringing endorsement for his return to the franchise.
The question that now remains is what happens next? Eon, the production company behind the Bond films and Sony have some difficult decisions to make before cameras begin to roll on Bond 24. Casting a new Bond has always been a challenge and replacing one of the most beloved Bonds of all time will be no easy task. Idris Elba’s name has been associated with the role for some time now, but while he’d be great as Bond taking the franchise in that direction would be quite the gamble. Craig’s performances in his four picture run as 007 erased any of the doubts and backlash that arose when the blond actor was first announced in the role. Moving towards Elba would be an even more dramatic departure than making Bond shift from brunette to blond. Elba’s got the acting chops, physicality and charisma to make an excellent 007 but movies are a business and Eon and Sony will probably have their eyes on making money as opposed to taking a chance on creating great Bond films that don’t fit their 50+ year old formula.
So who will be the next actor to slide in behind the wheel of the latest Aston Martin? Alongside Elba, names like Henry Cavill, Tom Hardy and Tom Hiddleston have been mentioned. A dark horse until his fantastic performance in the miniseries The Night Manager, Hiddleston’s potential as the new Bond had been overlooked. With Craig’s announcement and betting houses shutting down wagers on the new Bond due to incredibly heavy betting on Hiddleston, the possibility of him in the role began to gain serious traction. In truth, it doesn’t matter who the studios pick as Bond as the franchise will survive. The character is too iconic for it to fail long term. What Eon and Sony should really be focussing on is how to make the Bond franchise stronger than ever. The reality is that their competitors have been making better Bond films over the past decade than they have. The Bournes, Mission Impossibles and even the Fast and Furiouses of the world have been taking the Bond formula and turning it up a notch or two. It can be argued that Craig’s Bond films were more Bourne than Bond. To breathe some new life into the franchise and really turn it into a true juggernaut, Eon needs to look to their partners at Marvel for inspiration.
What Sony and Eon should do is expand the Bond franchise. Much like Marvel has created a billion dollar empire with their various but completely interconnected films, the same can be done in 007’s world. Make more Bond movies but now bring in the other 00 agents. The studio can hire whomever they want as Bond and then do a 009 movie staring Idris Elba. This move achieves a few goals. It allows the producers to expand the universe they’ve done a good job of rebooting, allows them to play it safe by keeping Bond true to the character’s roots and to expand the franchise to involve other actors like Elba in lead roles. They can even make the first female 00 agent and answer the calls for casting someone like Gillian Anderson as a part of Her Majesty’s Secret Service. Then once these new characters are established there can be a huge movie where they all cross over. That gives Eon and Sony the opportunity to introduce new villains and new storytelling possibilities that can deviate from the Bond formula for fans that like it but may want something different. Heck, they can even give the new 00’s their own similar theme songs.
Expanding the Bond franchise can be seen as a risk but it also presents the studios and producers involved with a way to tell interesting and creative stories without being straight jacketed by Bond’s almost 60 year old tuxedo measurements. It’ll take some courage and creativity to get it done, but considering the things Q Branch has come up with in the past, it’s an option that should be seriously considered. It’s time for things in the James Bond universe to be shaken, not stirred a little and audiences and the movies will be better for it.
This article originally appeared in Issue 15 of Comix Asylum Magazine.
