Being an actor who portrays James Bond is an extremely exclusive club. It was even once said that more people have walked on the moon. After Daniel Craig’s swan song as 007 in 2021’s No Time to Die, fans have been quick to throw out names for their favorite candidates to take up the mantle. Names like Idris Elba, Tom Hardy, and Henry Cavill have often been mentioned about who could next step into the Aston Martin.
Variety has recently interviewed legacy producers of the franchise, Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson, where the EON Productions duo spoke about what’s going in to looking for a new actor, especially when also considering which direction they plan to take the series. When considering popular candidate, Idris Elba, Broccoli says, “We love Idris. The thing is, it’s going to be a couple of years off. And when we cast Bond, it’s a 10-12-year commitment. So he’s probably thinking, ‘Do I really want that thing? Not everybody wants to do that. It was hard enough getting [Daniel Craig to do it]. And he was in his early 30s at the time!”
The producers have taken over the franchise from Albert R. “Cubby” Broccoli, Barbara’s father, ever since the 90s revitalization with Pierce Brosnan. “A lot of people think, ‘Oh yeah, it’d be fun to do one,” Broccoli laughs. “Well. That ain’t gonna work.” “It’s a big investment for us, too, to bring out a new Bond,” Wilson adds. “That’s why, when people go, ‘Oh, who are you going to get?’ it’s not just about casting an actor for a film. It’s about a reinvention, and ‘Where are we taking it? What do we want to do with the character?’” Broccoli notes. “And then, once we figure that out, who’s the right person for that particular reinvention? With [Craig], when we had the conversation at this very table about, you know, [whether he was] going to do it, he said, ‘Well, I’m going to do it. I really want to be a part of it, the whole thing.’ And he lived to regret that,” Broccoli says bursting with laughter. “But it’s a big commitment. It’s not just showing up for a couple of months of filming.”