Next James Bond: Amazon plotting major new direction for film franchise in huge blow to 007 frontrunner
Amazon is thought to be taking the next James Bond film in a new direction following the definitive conclusion of Daniel Craig’s time in the role.
The streaming giant took full creative control of the franchise in February after longtime producers Michael G Wilson and Barbara Broccoli stepped away.
The pair will retain some ownership of Bond film rights, but Amazon MGM will make all future decisions on Bond – including casting and direction of the series.
Now, the company is reportedly seeking a clean break from Craig’s last outing in 2021’s Now Time To Die, which ended with the self-sacrifice of the iconic spy.
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“They can’t just pretend it didn’t happen. So they’re looking at his story as a younger man in a different era,” an insider told The Sun.
They suggested the next Bond will be set in the glamourous original period of the franchise, the 1960s.
Line of Duty star Daniel Mays echoed the insider’s information, revealing: “I heard a rumour they’re going to cast someone very young and go back to the origins.
“They’re going to have all the retro cars and that sort of stuff — and start again. I think that would be kind of cool,” he told the We’re Not Getting Any Younger podcast.
As well as a return to the iconic era of Sean Connery and classic Aston Martin’s, Amazon is said to be seeking a fresher face to play 007.
The streaming giant is seeking a “20-something actor” for their proposed “preboot,” per The Sun.
Among the younger actors mooted for the role are Bridget Jones star Leo Woodall, SAS Rogue Heroes’ Connor Swindells, and Spider Man star Tom Holland – all 28 years old.
The news may come as a blow to some of the long-term Bond frontrunners like Henry Cavill, 41, James Norton, 39, and Theo James, 40.
Superman star Cavill recently emerged as the bookies’ “overwhelming” favourite to succeed Craig.
His odds of swooping the role have been slashed from 4/1 to a commanding 6/4.
Aaron Taylor-Johnson, 34, has seen his chances “notably slipping” in recent weeks as a result.
He follows being Cavill with 5/1 odds of becoming Bond, ahead of fellow other former top picks Norton and James on 8/1.