James Bond 26 Breaking A 007 Franchise Record Looks Inevitable Now

The news that Amazon now runs the James Bond series makes the odds of James Bond 26 breaking a major franchise record seem extremely likely. The producers behind the phenomenally successful James Bond franchise, Barbara Broccoli and Michal G. Wilson, shocked the world when Amazon MGM Studios announced they would be taking over creative control of the series going forward. 2021’s long-delayed No Time To Die was the most recent James Bond movie, and No Time To Die’s ending was the first time the series killed off a version of Bond.

Although No Time To Die received largely positive reviews, the future of the franchise now seems uncertain. Despite rumors surrounding high-profile actors like Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Josh O’Connor, and Theo James, no actor has officially replaced Daniel Craig in the iconic role of 007. Not only that, but Amazon CEO Andy Jassy admitted “We don’t have a plan yet on what the next theme is going to be” when asked about the franchise in late February 2025.

James Bond 26 Is Likely To Have The Longest Gap Between Movies

The James Bond Franchise Never Went More Than Six Years Without A New Movie

It seems increasingly inevitable that the record for the longest gap between James Bond movies will almost certainly be broken by James Bond 26. Currently, the record stands at six years, and it is shared by two movies in the James Bond series. Six years elapsed between Timothy Dalton’s final outing as 007, 1989’s License to Kill, and Pierce Brosnan’s Bond debut Goldeneye. The same gap occurred between Craig’s penultimate outing, Spectre, which was released in 2015, and his final Bond movie, No Time To Die.

It is already almost four years since No Time To Die was released and, more importantly, there is no sign of a new actor signing on to play Bond, a new script for the movie, or even any named creatives involved in its production. Without producer Barbara Broccoli’s involvement, the franchise’s fate seems to be in less assured hands. This is a considerable issue when even the legendary producer wasn’t able to replace Craig in the four years since his final outing. Admittedly, Amazon MGM Studios will most likely do everything in its power to profit from the franchise.

Is James Bond 26 Taking So Long A Bad Thing?

James Bond 26’s Lengthy Production Could Be Good Or Bad For The Movie

However, it is going to take a long while for the new producers to figure out how to update Bond for 2025. The studio will then need to get things moving immediately, since there is currently no plan in place according to the CEO’s own admission. Brosnan’s Bond debut, Goldeneye, was an incredibly popular rebrand for the franchise, which proves that a relatively lengthy absence from cinema screens isn’t an inherently bad thing for the series.

That said, it is not necessarily a good thing either. If Bond’s actor had been announced by now and the project just needed the right creative team, the series would already be steadily building up hype. However, while taking things slowly allows the studio more time to get their approach right, it also shows just how much they have struggled to find a direction after No Time To Die. As such, the future of the James Bond franchise remains somewhat worrisome as James Bond 26’s plans are entirely unclear for now.

Movie

My Favorite Movies
My Watchlist

No Time to Die

6/10

Release Date

October 8, 2021

Runtime

163 Minutes

Director

Cary Fukunaga

Writers

Cary Fukunaga, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Robert Wade, Scott Z. Burns, Neal Purvis