Summary

• Bond 26 could breathe new life by setting the film in the 1960s, providing a fresh take on the iconic character's origins.
• Bringing back time-specific elements from the original novels, like Blades Club, could add depth and nostalgia to the franchise.
• By returning to its roots in both theme and era, Bond 26 has the opportunity to establish a new fictional universe, separating itself from previous films.

ending of No Time To Die, the James Bond series has found itself in somewhat of a no-man's-land. With the cinematic version of Bond dead, there’s no easy way to carry this franchise into the future. Therefore, one of the most effective ways of keeping Ian Fleming’s classic spy alive could actually be to bring him back into the past.

Not only would a Bond movie in the ‘60s avoid any unnecessary complications following the character’s death, but it would also be the perfect opportunity to introduce some aspects from the original novels that haven’t been present in the movies. While Daniel Craig’s movies were mostly very strong adaptations, the decision to bring the spy into the present day meant that certain time-specific features of the books had to be dropped. With few details about Bond 26 released, there’s still time for a bold subversion of the classic style.

A 1960s-Set James Bond Movie Could Finally Adapt Blades Club From Ian Fleming's Books

Blades Club Has A Long-Standing History In The Novels

If Bond 26 does decide to bring the character back to the ‘60s, it would finally be possible for the movies to do a more accurate adaptation of Ian Fleming’s books. The movie could ditch the futuristic tech of the Craig movies for a more grounded, human-focused story like the ones Fleming wrote. One aspect of his novels that was notably absent from the Craig movies was Blades Club, the fictional gentlemen’s club that first appeared in Moonraker and subsequently became a staple of the Bond novels.

Blades Club is often used as a meeting place for Bond and M, the head of the Secret Intelligence Service. Though Bond isn’t technically a member of the club, the location appears several times when the espionage agent needs a neutral location to escape safely. The location didn’t play a large role in the Daniel Craig movies, most likely because it would have felt outdated in a modern environment. However, if Bond were brought back to the ‘60s, it would fit in perfectly.

Die Another Day (Sort Of) Introduced Blades

The Movie Re-Imagined Blades Club For A Modern Setting

The only time that Blade Club has actually been seen on-screen in the James Bond movies was in Die Another Day, but even that was little more than a cameo. In that movie, Blades Club is the name of a fencing association owned by Gustav Graves - although it has the same name, the location isn’t the same at all. It’s a nice Easter egg for audiences familiar with the Fleming books, but the narrative changes mean that an accurate portrayal of Blades Club is still missing from the movies.

Taking James Bond back to its roots [...] is the only way to truly make Blades Club work as a concept.

If Bond 26 was going to introduce Blades Club, it wouldn’t make sense to change the meaning like Die Another Day did. This Easter egg has already been done, and teasing the audience with this reference again might not play well with long-time fans of the franchise. Taking James Bond back to its roots, both thematically and temporally, is the only way to truly make Blades Club work as a concept - and it would separate this movie from those that came before it, establishing a new fictional universe.

Is James Bond's Blades Club Based On A Real-Life Place?

There's Evidence To Suggest That Blades Club Isn't Entirely Fictional

Although Blades Club is a fictional location, there’s evidence to suggest that it was actually based on Fleming’s own experiences with gentlemen’s clubs in London. The author was said to be a member of three different clubs, and while Blades is likely a manifestation of his experience with all three, he’s named one specific location as the primary inspiration. According to the website Fleming’s Bond, the author used Boodle’s Club on St. James Street in London to help create an image of Blades Club, and the two locations had many characteristics in common.

Ian Fleming wrote 12 James Bond novels and two collections of short stories

But interestingly, Boodles itself is also mentioned in Moonraker - while Bond is watching Hugo Drax lunching at Blades, the spy is actually seated in his car outside Boodle’s. The fact that Fleming goes out of his way to mention the real-life Boodles club suggests that it was important to him, adding credence to the ongoing theory that it was the main inspiration for Blades. If Bond 26 goes back to the ‘60s, the club’s inclusion would be a fitting way to pay homage to the author who started this whole franchise.