What is going on with the James Bond franchise?

Next November No Time to Die will hit theaters, the 25th movie in the James Bond franchise, as long as conditions have improved in the world with the Covid-19 pandemic. However, questions about the future of the franchise have been in the air for a long time. Where is this franchise headed?

No Time to Die

The BBC reported a few months ago about the delay in the premiere originally scheduled for April, also affecting many productions around the world. For No Time to Die It was a difficult decision, the premiere was scheduled for March 31 in London, which obviously could not be carried out due to the restrictions that began in Europe. The production was betting on surpassing Specter (Sam Mendes, 2015) which made $ 880 million at the box office, according to the Finance Journal, although surpassing Skyfall's $ 1 billion (Sam Mendes, 2012) looks quite complicated by relying mainly on the Chinese and US markets, two of the most affected.

The cost of production has been the highest in the franchise, with $ 250 million and Rami Malek (Bohemian Rhapsody, Mr. Robot), as the villain, they aspired to have the best numbers in this crucial film being the last one with Daniel Craig as Agent 007. Specter was destined to be the last, but $ 25 million has been enough to convince him to play the character once again, according to information from the same newspaper.

Although the main change in "Bond 25" will be Craig's farewell, in Skyfall Judi Dench retired as M, after seven films as the head of MI6, instead, Ralph Fiennes will take command as the new boss of Bond. The questions point to where the franchise will go in this transition film, choosing the actor who will play James Bond has never been an easy process, according to RCN Craig himself faced harsh criticism in 2005 when he was chosen, particularly for his features compared to Pierce Brosnan, something that he has compensated with the commercial success of his four previous jobs as the famous spy.

Also read: Why Nolan's Batman trilogy is still so iconic

Jane Bond?

Since before Specter was released, there were already lists of who would be Daniel Craig's successor, since the film was supposed to be the last with him as the agent. Numerous names were in the newspapers including Tom Hardy, Sam Heughan, Tom Hiddleston, Idris Elba, Damian Lewis, Hugh Jackman or Henry Cavill, according to Esquire, however, nothing is set in stone. 

One of the possibilities that gained strength in the last year was to have a woman as agent 007, especially after it was made public that in No Time to Die the code 007 designated for James Bond will be used by the Afro-British actress Lashana Lynch ( Captain Marvel ) as an MI6 agent as reported by The Guardian. The controversy over the possible appointment of a woman as Agent Bond has drawn criticism, although some people see it as an interesting radical change for the franchise, a way to compensate for what James Bond has been criticized for years: being misogynistic and macho, among other qualifiers.

In this regard, Barbara Broccoli, producer of the franchise, has made it clear that Agent Bond will always be a man, that women need their own characters and not simply a male character transformed into a female one "by magic", according to The National. A legitimate aspiration that fans of other characters have managed to see materialized, for example in 2018 the 13th "reincarnation" of Dr. Who fell for the first time on a woman: Jodie Whittaker, who is the current interpreter. Although Broccoli's statements have been concise, in the end nothing is written about the future of agent 007, it remains to be seen if Bond will adapt to the demands of the current public by reinventing himself, if he will maintain his profile or if he will make small changes without modifying what people criticize about him.