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 has taken some interesting twists and has 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 director
Trainspotting, 28 Days Later and Sunshine director Danny Boyle was attached for a time but now that’s all fallen through.
It looked like Danny Boyle caught the Bond bug while he was directing a Queen Elizabeth-starring 007 segment for his London Olympics Opening Ceremony in 2012, and he decided to develop his own idea for a Bond film without being asked – working on a script with Trainspotting writer John Hodge. And the film’s producers, Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli decided to go for a punt choosing Boyle’s new idea over regular writers Neal Purvis and Robert Wade’s old one.
“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.”
Hmm, that’s not worked out after all, though. A terse statement issued towards the end of August simply reads:
“Michael G. Wilson, Barbara Broccoli, and Daniel Craig today announced that due to creative differences Danny Boyle has decided to no longer direct Bond 25.”
So what’s next?
Everything got back on track in September when Cary Fukunaga was confirmed as the new director. It’s an interesting choice, since Fukunaga (Sin Nombre, Jane Eyre, True Detective) is known for his visual flair – making him a pretty worthy auteur to replace Boyle.
“We are delighted to be working with Cary,” say producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli, confirming the story to Deadline. “His versatility and innovation make him an excellent choice for our next James Bond adventure”.
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. Ben Wishaw is confirmed – back in the role of Q – and Léa Seydoux will also return as Madeleine Swan.
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…!).
Helena Bonham Carter was reportedly the frontrunner to play a new villain. That 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).
French-American actor Saïd Taghmaoui told The National that he’s been tentatively cast as the next villain. “I literally just received a message saying: ‘If they go Middle East, it’s you. If they go Russian, it’s someone else.’ It’s the story of my life. Always on that line between something that could change my life and something that disappears.” If true, the story adds weight to the idea that producers are still torn between two completely different scripts – and suggests that a new story could shift the action from Russia to the Middle East.
More recently, Fukunaga was trying to land Bohemian Rhapsody star Rami Malek, but scheduling conflicts mean that he’s an unlikely catch.
James Bond 25 plot
At the moment, very little is known about what 007 will actually do in Bond 25, but now Boyle has backed out and Fukunaga is on board, it looks like the producers are opting for Purvis and Wade’s original script idea.
However, according to The Playlist, scriptwriter Scott Z Burns (The Bourne Ultimatum, Contagion and countless uncredited script-doctor gigs) has been recruited to work on the film’s script. The report describes Burns’ work as an “overhaul”, so it remains to be seen exactly how much of Purvis and Wade’s original screenplay will make it to the big screen.
For posterity, all we did know was 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”.
Though there’s absolutely no reason to believe these roles still stand.
James Bond 25 title
One of the first big rumours about Bond 25 suggested that it was going to be called ‘Shatterhand’ – taking inspiration from Raymond Benson’s novel, Never Dream of Dying. That was all before Boyle came on board and threw the old script out the window, but now he’s out, could our hand be shattered once more?
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 filming
Filming was scheduled to begin on 3 December and London’s Pinewood Studios had already been booked.
Pre-production work had got underway, and for Daniel Craig that meant 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’”.
However, with Boyle-gate delaying production, filming is now scheduled to begin in March.
James Bond 25 release date
Bond 25 was slated to arrive in UK cinemas on 25 October 2019, but the loss of Boyle as director pushed the release date back.
With the news that Fukunaga had signed on, the release date was set as 14 February 2020. Then, the date was pushed back another couple of months, with the film now due in cinemas on 8 April 2020 – as announced via the official James Bond Twitter account…
There was no reason given for the latest release date change, although reports of further script tinkering could be the likely culprit.
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).