After an almost two year long delay due to the pandemic, No Time To Die finally hit theaters in November, and with it, came the close of Daniel Craig‘s tenure as James Bond. The actor was well-received when he took over the reins from Pierce Brosnan in the quasi-reboot Casino Royale, which modernized the franchise with a grittier tone and Jason Bourne-esque fight scenes that were all the rage in the mid-aughts. Now, legendary Bond producer Barbara Broccoli finds herself in the unenviable position of trying to find the next Bond, and she recently sat down with Deadline‘s Crew Call podcast to talk about the process.
According to Broccoli, she’s naturally hesitant to begin a formal search for a new 007, and she also wants to make sure No Time To Die has “had its run” so Craig can soak in his final turn as the famed British agent. However, she surprisingly confirmed that Idris Elba is in the mix as a potential replacement. Although, the seasoned producer was careful not to say anything too concrete. Via IndieWire:
“We know Idris, I’m friends with him,” she said. “He’s a magnificent actor.” However, she made sure to remain noncommittal about any potential casting and said that any conversations up to this point have been purely hypothetical. While fans have been speculating about Daniel Craig’s replacement for years, the producer did not want to begin work on her next casting search until he had officially departed. “You know, [Elba has] been part of the conversation, but it’s always difficult to have a conversation when you have somebody in the seat,” she said.
When it seemed like Craig would exit the franchise after Spectre, Elba became a name that was repeatedly floated by 007 fans, and it seems like the Broccolis have taken notice. However, Bridgerton star Regé-Jean Page quickly shot to the top of betting markets’ lists after his performance in the Netflix series left women across the globe swooning. Either way, it’ll be interesting to see who emerges as the next James Bond and whether the decades-long franchise will finally shake things up in the casting department.
(Via IndieWire)