Bond by numbers: 66 years after Ian Fleming first created him, 007 is coming back for his 25th film. Now the longest continually running movie series of all time, the Bond films have grossed over $7.04 billion, making it the fourth highest grossing series in history.
With Bond 25 providing Daniel Craig with his last outing as 007 – as well as bringing the series total to a milestone number – the new film looks set to be something special for the franchise with an interesting new director, a lot of new ideas and one hell of a reputation to live up to.
Check back here for regular updates on all the latest Bond 25 news and rumours, as we get them, for your eyes only…
James Bond 25 cast
After he made Spectre in 2015, Daniel Craig said he’d rather slit his wrists than play James Bond again. Put it down to his trademark grouchiness (or the huge pay check), but he later changed his mind and decided that, yes, he would actually quite like to play one of cinema’s most iconic, beloved characters again please.
Confirming the news on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, Craig announced that he would be returning for Bond 25, and that it would be his last time playing the role.
“I think this is it,” he said. “I just want to go out on a high note and I can’t wait”.
Most of the regular cast from Skyfall made it over to Spectre, so the chances are good that we’ll see Ralph Fiennes returning as M and Naomi Harris as Moneypenny, but only Ben Wishaw is currently confirmed – back in the role of Q.
Christoph Waltz’s archvillain Blofeld was left alive at the end of Spectre, fuelling rumours that his story would carry over into Bond 25, but Waltz has gone on record to say that he’s definitely not returning to the franchise (which is exactly the sort of thing Blofeld would say…!).
In better news, Helena Bonham Carter is reportedly the current frontrunner to play a new villain. If true, it would mark the series’ first female baddie since Sophie Marceau’s Elektra King in 1999’s The World Is Not Enough (who was upstaged by Robert Carlyle anyway).
James Bond 25 director
Denis Villeneuve (Blade Runner 2049) very nearly signed on to direct a script written by veteran Bond scribes Neal Purvis and Robert Wade (who have written every 007 movie since The World Is Not Enough).
Meanwhile, Danny Boyle caught the Bond bug while he was directing a Queen Elizabeth-starring 007 segment for his London Olympics Opening Ceremony, and he decided to develop his own idea for a Bond film without being asked – working on a script with Trainspotting writer John Hodge.
To their credit, the film’s producers, Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli, decided to go with the riskier option – choosing Boyle’s new idea over Purvis and Wade’s old one, and turning Bond over to one of Britain’s most interesting, most energetic directors.
“I like watching big films but I don’t think I’m necessarily good at making them,” laughed Boyle, talking to students at a filmmaking masterclass given at the Liverpool Institute Of Performing Arts. “Then I thought ‘no, you shouldn’t think like that’. We have this idea about what we want to do with Bond and I felt we should have a go because of this idea. So we are trying to stay true to our principles.”
James Bond 25 plot
At the moment, very little is known about what 007 will actually do in Bond 25. We assume he’s going to shoot a lot of henchmen, drive a few expensive cars and make suggestive remarks to at least one woman, but given that Boyle impressed the producers with something fresh and original, we probably can’t take anything for granted.
The only information we currently have comes via the production casting call, which asks for several interesting sounding folk to fill three key roles.
According to MI6-HQ, Bond 25 will need a male in his 30’s-60’s to play a lead Russian role (“also open to suggestions of actors from the Balkans or similar”), who can appear “charismatic, powerful, innovative, cosmopolitan, bright, cold and vindictive”.
Also in demand is a “very striking” Russian female aged 30-45 who can act “intelligent, brave, fierce and charming”, being “witty and skillful” with excellent stage combat skills.
Lastly, the film is asking for a Maori man aged 35-55 – equally good at fighting as he is at being “authoritative, cunning, ruthless and loyal”.
Aside from suggesting the new film is going to be full of walking contradictions, the casting call points to Russia and New Zealand as possible locations. Are the Russians going to be the bad guys? Will the film be all about fake news, phone hacking and Novichock? Probably not.
James Bond 25 title
One of the first big rumors about Bond 25 suggested that it was going to be called ‘Shatterhand’ – taking inspiration from Raymond Benson’s novel, Never Dream of Dying. However, that was all before Boyle came on board and threw the old script out the window.
At the moment we don’t know what the film is going to be called. If the last lot are anything to go by, everyone will hate the title as soon as it’s announced, and then everyone will get used to it.
James Bond 25 release date
Bond 25 will fittingly arrive in UK cinemas on 25 October, 2019. This will be two full weeks before it opens in America, on 8 November.
The film has also had to deal with a lot of legal wrangling over the distribution rights. Sony, who distributed every Bond film since Casino Royale, has now lost out to MGM (in America) and Universal (everywhere else).
James Bond 25 filming
Filming is scheduled to begin on 3 December. We don’t know which exotic locations will be used yet, but we do know that London’s Pinewood Studios has already been booked. Given that the Pinewood’s biggest soundstage is called “The Albert R. Broccoli 007 Stage”, that’s no great surprise.
Pre-production work is currently underway, and for Daniel Craig that means visiting the CIA headquarters to get a lesson in real espionage work. Craig apparently spent time at Langley, Virginia, to learn about the work being carried out by American Intelligence officers.
In an official statement (follow the link to see the CIA’s worst ever photoshop job), the US government agency said they had invited Craig as part of an initiative to: “work with the film industry to combat misrepresentations and assist in balanced and accurate portrayals.” During his tour, Craig was told that “real life espionage is a lot more ‘cloak’ and a lot less ‘dagger’”. Let’s hope the CIA isn’t writing the script…