The next actor taking on James Bond will be in his 30s and could be of any race, according to producer Barbara Broccoli.
In a new interview with the Associated Press, Broccoli has teased what we might be able to expect from the much-anticipated reveal of the next 007. The article states: “It will be a man. He’ll likely be in his 30s. Whiteness is not a given.”
The actor will also need to be contracted to at least a decade’s worth of films.
Broccoli expects that whoever they pick will have to deal with a backlash similar to that experienced by Daniel Craig, who was criticised at the beginning before his first appearance in Casino Royale. She refers to it as “anti-Daniel Craig nonsense”.
“It’s a big decision,” she said.
Her brother and co-producer, Michael G Wilson, added: “Every time we cast a new actor, the films change. It’s the excitement of a new Bond, a new direction. Every one of these people who took on the role offered something new and different.”
Recent rumours have suggested that the Kick-Ass and The Fall Guy actor Aaron Taylor-Johnson is the hot favourite with unconfirmed reports claiming that the 33-year-old has already been offered the role.
In 2021, Amazon brought MGM which also secured it the rights to James Bond. The company’s global head, Jennifer Salke, was asked about the future of the franchise in a recent interview with the Observer.
“There are a lot of ideas [about potential actors] that have popped up that I thought are interesting,” she said. “I think there are a lot of different ways we can go … We are not looking to disrupt the way those wonderful films are made … The global audience will be patient. We don’t want too much time between films, but we are not concerned at this point.”
Last year, Broccoli also confirmed that the films would not become streaming premieres as they are made “for the big theatrical screen”.
Craig’s final appearance as 007 in 2021’s No Time to Die brought in $774m at the worldwide box office. It remains the third-biggest film of all time in the UK.
When recently asked who he would choose to take over the role, Craig laughed and said: “I don’t care.”
