🔗 Share this article

Arriving this weekend is Bond Day, in case you missed it – October 5th now stands as a international celebration dedicated to all things 007, because of the fact it commemorates the anniversary of the international launch of the inaugural 007 movie, starring Sean Connery, back in 1962. Consider it similar to May the 4th, minus the Wookiees and Ewoks and a whole lot more tuxedoed swagger.

A Low-Key Celebration Currently

But on this occasion, the coming of James Bond Day seems somewhat like a damp squib. Not long has passed following Denis Villeneuve was revealed to direct the upcoming 007 movie back in June, and even less time since the screenwriter Steven Knight was brought on board to draft the story. However, we've seen scant evidence from that point about the future agent being officially announced, with minimal clarity of where this venerable franchise will proceed. What remains are unconfirmed reports through film industry sources implying that the film-makers intend to cast a relatively youthful British actor, who could be non-white although not a woman, an established star, or anyone slightly known.

Disappointment for Oddsmakers

This is, of course disappointing news for the many gambling platforms who have been earning significant profits over recent months out of trying to convince bettors that the selection process is among a shortlist of actors and that hunky guy in Saltburn with Australian origins.

Revisiting Newcomers

Notably, the last time the film series actually went for a complete unknown was in 1969, with George Lazenby briefly took up the Walther PPK. Prior to that, Connery himself was not famous: he had taken several supporting roles along with some theater and modeling jobs in addition to working as a bodybuilder and milkman in his hometown before landing the starring part in Dr No. The creative heads deliberately avoided a household name; they wanted a new face whom audiences would believe as Bond himself, instead of a performer portraying Bond.

Employing this strategy again might prove to be a brilliant tactic, exactly as it was in the early 1960s.

Impact of Villeneuve

However, bringing in the director Denis Villeneuve suggests that there are no excuses in any way in case the future agent turns out to be unconvincing. Increasing the ridiculous devices and suggestive humor is no longer an option under the guidance of is a serious filmmaker of genre film-making best known for ponderous sci-fi epics where the dominant feature is deep philosophical tension.

A tough guy in formalwear … Craig's debut in Casino Royale.

A New Direction for the Franchise

However, in numerous aspects, selecting this director reveals a great deal we should understand regarding the upcoming era after Daniel Craig. It's unlikely there will be stealth automobiles or double entendres, and the return of Sheriff JW Pepper again shortly. All of this is, of course, quite alright if you like your James Bond with a modern twist. However, it leaves unclear the director's interpretation of the elegant government hitman will stand out against earlier agents from the recent past especially if the new era doesn’t choose to place the plot in the initial decades.

Redefining Each Era

Craig was instantly distinctive as a new kind of stylish operative as he appeared in the role in 2006’s Casino Royale, an aggressive figure in black tie who would avoid at all costs in an invisible car, or using sexual wordplay alongside Denise Richards while defusing a nuclear warhead. He made the previous Bond's polished style who only a few years previously was viewed by many the finest agent since the original, look like a karaoke Connery badly reheated. Not that this is anything new. Lazenby (briefly) followed Connery, Brosnan came after the overlooked Dalton, and cheesy late-era Roger Moore came after the intense early Moore. All franchise chapters reshapes the previous, but each one is in their own way James Bond 007, deserving of a toast. It's somewhat strange, as we apparently celebrate this year’s Bond Day, that we are being invited to toast one that is not yet chosen.