When it was announced that Denis Villeneuve would be the next director to tackle the James Bond franchise, fans were pretty thrilled. When Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli of EON Productions stepped down some months back, many worried about the direction the franchise would take, especially now that Amazon owns the rights. Hardcore Bond fans feared the streamer—desperate for valuable IP—might exploit the series by churning out too many movies and, God forbid, too many bad spinoffs. It brought back memories of how Disney all but killed off goodwill for Star Wars with an exhausting barrage of subpar content. Would we end up with something as inane as a series centered on Q or Miss Moneypenny? Or The Felix Leiter Chronicles? But with the hiring of Denis Villeneuve—one of the biggest directors on the planet—Amazon MGM Studios seemed to be promising that 007 would stay where he belongs: on the big screen.
However, shortly after that announcement, a rumored list of frontrunners for Bond leaked—and many were surprised by how young the choices were. None of the actors on the list—including Euphoria’s Jacob Elordi, Harris Dickinson, and Tom Holland, of all people—were over thirty. The buzz is that even Aaron Taylor-Johnson, long thought to be a natural fit, may be too old at 35. Henry Cavill, at 43, and Idris Elba, at 50, are also reportedly out of the running.
This raises an interesting possibility about the future direction of the franchise, one that also dovetails with the approach being taken in what’s poised to be the first James Bond video game in thirteen years: 007: First Light, which features a younger Bond. In this game, Bond is just 26, tasked with earning his 00 designation by completing his first deadly mission.
Despite the film franchise running strong for over sixty-three years, we’ve never really had a James Bond origin story. Even in the Ian Fleming novels, Bond shows up more or less fully formed—already an experienced agent. The closest we came on film was Casino Royale. The original plan had been to hire a very young actor (Henry Cavill, then 23, was nearly cast), but in the end, 38-year-old Daniel Craig got the role. While the film does show Bond earning his license to kill, he’s still very much a fully trained operative—lethal and in control. A version that shows a truly young Bond learning the ropes in the secret service could be interesting.
Then again, it could also be deadly dull. Bond does have a somewhat established backstory. He’s an orphan in the Fleming novels, and in the films, a former Commander in the Royal Navy. The Craig era gave him an adopted family and a stepbrother who turned out to be Christoph Waltz’s Blofeld—an addition most fans weren’t crazy about. That element will likely be dropped. Keep Bond an orphan. Give him the Naval background. Beyond that, feel free to reinvent.
But let’s be real: spy origin stories don’t have the best track record. Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit or American Assassin, anyone? They tend to follow a predictable formula: the young recruit, the wise mentor (played by a big star), who inevitably either A) dies or B) turns out to be the villain. Sound familiar? Maybe a little Batman Begins-ish? Do we really need a James Bond Begins? Just because it hasn’t been done doesn’t mean it should be.
It’s also worth noting this isn’t a new idea. The Bond spinoff novels have toyed with it, most notably Charlie Higson’s Young Bond series. If anything, Jeffrey Deaver’s Carte Blanche—which portrays Bond in his early thirties—might be more in line with what they’re going for.
If it were up to me, I wouldn’t do another origin story. And I wouldn’t cast a super-young Bond. I’d follow tradition and cast someone in their late thirties or early forties—young enough to make a few films, but not so young that they come off as inexperienced or lightweight. Frankly, casting someone like Tom Holland feels like a misstep. Great Spider-Man, yes. Bond? No way. And sure, Sean Connery was 32 when his first Bond film was released and George Lazenby was 29 when he was filming On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, but those were different times.
That said, if anyone deserves the benefit of the doubt, it’s Denis Villeneuve. Oddly enough, the perfect 007 might be hiding in the cast of Villeneuve’s upcoming Dune Messiah: Robert Pattinson. He’s the right age and has the right look—if only he weren’t already Batman. Whoever Villeneuve picks will likely be right on the money. And I honestly doubt it’ll be anyone from Amazon’s leaked list—unless Harris Dickinson suddenly becomes available. He bears a striking resemblance to the literary Bond and has the acting chops to match. But with him tied up shooting not one, not two, but four Beatles movies as John Lennon, he might be off the table for a while.
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