Bond producers: The villain will be cast before 007

The buzz is about Bond, James Bond. Well, it was, anyway, until a recent interview with James Bond producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson shifted the focus from who will play the next 007 to who the next James Bond villain will be.

Barbara Broccoli, who stepped in as co-producer starting on 1995’s GoldenEye (her father, Albert, died in 1996), went into detail with The Hollywood Reporter about the actual process that goes into creating a James Bond movie. “We always sit down with our writers, and we start by thinking about ‘What is the world afraid of?’ We start by thinking about, ‘Who’s the Bond villain?’ We try to focus on that as the sort of uber story.”

As for James Bond himself–don’t hold your breath just yet. Interestingly, the next Bond–whoever it may be–isn’t the top priority. This is despite the major time and professional commitment from the actor. Broccoli revealed that “we’re casting someone hopefully for a decade, at least. It’s a big decision to make, and we’re nowhere near making that decision.” And no, it won’t be Idris Elba.

The producers have kept mum on any details regarding Bond 26. But with 2022 being the 60th anniversary of the first Bond film, Dr. No, fan anticipation has been at a constant high. Perhaps we’ll get some concrete information on October 5, deemed Global James Bond Day. Come on, we’ve got full details on a James Bond pinball machine but not who will take over for Daniel Craig?

The producers also noted that speculation has built around the next Bond girl and who will perform the title song. The latter is definitely a hot billing, as the last three performers have won Academy Awards for Best Original Song.

Who do you think would make a great James Bond villain? Let us know in the comments below!