Barbara Broccoli comments on the future of 007: “James Bond is evolving just as men are evolving”
The James Bond franchise producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson have commented on the future of the iconic action character as rumours swirl as to who might take over the role from Daniel Craig.
In conversation with Variety, Broccoli and Wilson were proposed with the idea of Idris Elba being the next Bond, to which the latter responded: “He’s great”. Following up on his comments, Broccoli adds: “We love Idris,” but explains that “the thing is, it’s going to be a couple of years off…And when we cast Bond, it’s a 10-12-year commitment. So he’s probably thinking, ‘Do I really want that thing? Not everybody wants to do that. It was hard enough getting [Daniel Craig to do it]”.
Speculation as to the next Bond has extended from the likes of Tom Hardy, Idris Elba and Henry Cavill to more unlikely contenders such as the Gangs of London star Paapa Essiedu, who would be revolutionary in the role.
Speaking about the tenure of Craig, Broccoli states: “With [Craig], when we had the conversation at this very table about, you know, [whether he was] going to do it, he said, ‘Well, I’m going to do it. I really want to be a part of it, the whole thing’…it’s a big commitment. It’s not just showing up for a couple of months of filming”.
Indeed, Daniel Craig’s tenure as James Bond was extraordinary, changing the face of 007 as we know it, as Broccoli states, Craig “cracked Bond open emotionally…The films over his tenure were the first time we really connected the emotional arc”.
But Broccoli has a sagacious view of the future of Bond. “It’s an evolution,” she says, speaking about how the character has changed over the years, realising, “Bond is evolving just as men are evolving. I don’t know who’s evolving at a faster pace”.
Never Miss A Scene
The Far Out Film Newsletter
All the latest film news from the independent voice of culture.
Straight to your inbox.