Summary

  • The next James Bond actor announcement is taking longer than usual, with nearly four years ing since Daniel Craig announced his departure from the role.
  • COVID-19 delays and the difficulty of finding an actor willing to commit to a long-term role contribute to the extended search for Craig's successor.
  • The pressure to find an actor who can match Craig's portrayal and handle the physical demands of the role is a significant factor in the delayed announcement.

While there's still no word of who will take over the role of James Bond from Daniel Craig, the as-yet-unnamed actor will already have broken one James Bond record by the time they officially assume the role. While George Lazenby took over the role of Bond for 1969's On Her Majesty's Secret Service, it was Roger Moore's run that cemented Bond as a role that could be successfully played by more than one actor. Throughout Daniel Craig's tenure in the role, speculation about who will succeed him has been rife, heightened by his unusually long stint as the iconic British spy.

Speculation has only increased since Craig announced he was stepping down as Bond in 2019. There are plenty of actors who could be the next James Bond but, as of August 2023, there have been no official casting announcements. Whoever ends up taking on the role for Bond 26, however, will already have one James Bond record under their belt as a result.

How Long Bond 26's Actor Announcement Is Taking Compared To Past Bonds

Daniel Craig as James Bond 007 smiling with blissful resignation as he's about to be blown up by a missile in No Time To Die

When the next James Bond actor is finally announced, it will mark the longest time between the previous actor quitting and the next one officially being given the title. In an appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Daniel Craig announced his departure from the role in November 2019. That means nearly four years have ed with no news on who will be the next James Bond, an unusually long among of time.

In comparison, there was less than a year between the announcement of Craig's predecessor, Pierce Brosnan, stepping down and Craig's casting. Amid rumors and speculation, Brosnan officially made the announcement via his website in February 2005, and Craig was announced as James Bond in October of that same year. Before that, Brosnan was announced as the fifth actor to play James Bond in June 1994, just two months after Timothy Dalton announced he would not be returning as Bond.

Around two years ed between Sean Connery, Lazenby, and Moore's final films and the next ones in the series, a marker that is fast approaching for Craig's last film in the role. No Time To Die was released on September 30th, 2021. So, with no new Bond announced as of August 2023, it will likely be several more years before Bond 26 is even on the horizon.

Why Bond 26's New 007 Announcement Is Taking So Long

Collage of Sean Connery as James Bond playing baccarat in Dr. No and Daniel Craig as 007 playing poker in Casino Royale.
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There is more than one reason the announcement of the next James Bond may be taking so long. Firstly, COVID-19 caused delays to the release of No Time to Die, and undoubtedly put the brakes on the search for Craig's successor. Replacing Craig will likely be no easy task in the time of COVID or otherwise. Speaking to Variety in 2022, producer Barbara Broccoli explained that when casting Bond "it's a 10-12 year commitment... Not everybody wants to do that."

The filmmakers have a difficult task finding someone old enough to play a veteran but young enough to be willing to take on a long-term role that has left previous actors with broken bones (per best iterations of James Bond, often named only behind Sean Connery, and it's no wonder that the makers of Bond 26 are taking their time to find the ideal replacement for James Bond.

Source: The Independent, Variety