MOVIE NEWS – Barbara Broccoli assures fans that James Bond, the iconic 007 agent, will be back on-screen even after Daniel Craig retires from the role.

When it was announced that Daniel Craig’s final role as James Bond super spy would be in the film No Time to Die, speculation began as to whether we would see the character in this form on the big screen. Some have speculated that the character’s gender will be replaced in the future or that the character will be rewritten entirely beyond recognition.

Barbara Broccoli, a longtime producer of the Bond franchise, confirmed last month that James Bond was and will remain a male character, as she reiterated at Deadline Contenders’ New York film event on Saturday, adding that the character will return soon.

“We’ll figure that one out, but he will be back. You can rest assured James Bond will be back.”

Broccoli was joined at the event by No Time to Die producer Michael G. Wilson, special effects supervisor Chris Corbould, visual effects designer Mark Tildesley and co-star Rami Malek to talk about the film, which grossed more than $756 million worldwide last weekend, making it the most prominent Hollywood blockbuster of the Covid era.

Barbara Broccoli said: “What was so important to us was that this film be shown in the cinemas because it has this beautiful landscape… It’s a visual feast in the way it’s been designed and shot. We’re just so thrilled we were able to open in cinemas.”

Wilson commented, “We’re so lucky that we hit the sweet spot and got it in the cinemas at the right time and the public was ready to go back to the cinema again and see films where they deserve to be, in the theater.”

Among the many records set by the film is that the opening scene, usually reserved for a more prolonged action sequence, lasts a full 25 minutes before the opening credits roll, and primarily tells the story of Lea Seydoux’s Madeleine, and introduces audiences to Rami Malek’s main villain for the first time:

“It took us a while to get into the film — and 25 minutes before the titles, which is, I suppose, a record for us — but I think it earned it because you needed that backstory to really tell the full story of the film.”

While there were moments when the Bond franchise couldn’t settle between a sombre and down-to-earth tone and an utterly over-the-top fantasy, the team was conscientious about ensuring that this time around, the backstory was given the relevance it needed alongside the big, fun action sequences.

“It’s really important to keep all the action reality-based,” explained Corbould. “On the James Bond films we’ve always had that mantra that we would not get too fantastical, but that’s what we achieved… the DB5 chase, the end sequence, the sinking trawler, it was all really powerful stuff and it’s really important the special effects are not fantastical and don’t take us out of the script and the characters.”

Tildesley continued, “I think the difficult or interesting thing is to try and weave the two things together so you have a set or an effect that helps enhance the story rather than just for the sake of it.”

Broccoli has previously made it clear that he would like audiences to enjoy Daniel Craig’s swan song before the search for a successor begins; and while we may have to wait a few more years before Bond bursts back onto screens, it seems James Bond and the franchise don’t have time to die…

Source: Deadline