A new era of James Bond on screen is upon us. As James Bond 26 director Denis Villeneuve continues to put the finishing touches on this December’s Dune: Part Three, the search for the next 007 is officially underway. Under the guidance of Oscar-nominated casting director Nina Gold, the Bond 26 casting process has begun. The filmmakers are specifically looking for an actor who boasts plenty of sex appeal and can headline at least four movies. As fans await the anticipated casting announcement, Bond 26 screenwriter Steven Knight has shed some light on his process and how it could be different from previous iterations.
Speaking with Screen Daily, Knight shared that he’s been meeting with “the SAS and even more secret outfits” as he’s been putting the Bond 26 script together. “I am talking to them about what they do every day. It’s all real,” he said. “[Ian Fleming]… was living that life. In the war, he was doing those things. He knew people doing that stuff, going out there and killing people.”
Continuing, Knight elaborated on his approach, reflecting on how much Bond has changed over the years. “Bond has been bulletproof. People have been able to make mistakes and variations, quite elaborate variations, and the character has survived because the core of it is like a diamond. You can’t touch it. The person you are talking about is folklore,” he said.
Will Amazon’s James Bond Have a New Backstory?
Knight’s comments are a possible indication that Amazon could be looking to reinvent James Bond’s backstory a little bit. Traditionally, the character served in the Royal Navy prior to joining MI6 and becoming the 00 agent fans know and love today. The SAS is England’s Special Air Service, so perhaps this new version will retain the military background and just change the specific branch that Bond was part of. On paper, that’s not the most significant alteration Amazon could make, but it would still be an interesting difference.
If the plan is to cast a younger actor who can carry the role for the next several years, it’s plausible Bond 26 will at least partially be an origin story, detailing some of what this new version of James was up to before he became a fresh-faced 00 recruit. Bond’s origin has been tackled in other adaptations before (including the upcoming video game 007 First Light), but it wouldn’t be surprising for Bond 26 to at least touch on the character’s past, establishing who he is at the beginning of what will hopefully be a long film series. Meeting with the SAS could be Knight’s way of ensuring any scenes featuring Bond in the military are as accurate as possible.
Of course, there’s also the “even more secret outfits” part of Knight’s quote to consider. The writer’s conversations with the SAS may not be a sign of things to come. He could just be doing his due diligence, reaching out to as many people as possible so all of his bases are covered. If he wants to craft a well-rounded worldview of British secret operations, talking to various branches would be an efficient and effective manner of accomplishing that goal. Odds are, this new Bond will come from a military background, but it’s too early to tell if he’s SAS, Navy, or something else.
It’s also fascinating to hear Knight talk about the leeway he has when it comes to putting his own stamp on the character. The James Bond film series has lasted for over 60 years and is showing no signs of slowing down. That has happened because the higher-ups have always been willing to take things in new directions, helping the character continue to resonate with audiences. In the films, Bond has been everything from exceptionally campy to grounded and gritty and everything in between. If Amazon’s reboot is to be the mega franchise the studio wants, reinvention is key. It’ll be exciting to see what Knight and Villeneuve come up with.
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