Barbara Broccoli Says Next James Bond Film Is “At Least Two Years Away” And Is A “Reinvention”

After five films spread over fifteen years, Daniel Craig’s time as James Bond is officially over. And Craig went out with a bang, as Cary Fukunaga’s “No Time To Die” had perhaps the most shocking ending of any Bond film to date. No spoilers, but Craig’s rendition of the iconic super-spy has a final, complete arc, and there’s no way he’ll be back.

READ MORE: Producer Once Again Says Next James Bond Actor Can Be Any Race But Will Definitely Be Male & British

So, of course, that leaves fans wondering who the next James Bond will be and when he’ll be on the big screen next. But, according to Bond producer Barbara Broccoli, there won’t be answers to those questions for at least a couple of years. Deadline reports that Broccoli gave an update on the franchise’s future at a private dinner event in London honoring her and her brother Michael G. Wilson for their BFI fellowships. The essential bits are this: production on the next Bond film is at least two years away, and they have no one in mind to replace Craig because there isn’t even a script in the works yet.  

“Nobody’s in the running,” Broccoli said at the event. “We’re working out where to go with him, we’re talking that through. There isn’t a script and we can’t come up with one until we decide how we’re going to approach the next film because, really, it’s a reinvention of Bond. We’re reinventing who he is and that takes time.” So, how much time is that? Broccoli gave an estimate, “I’d say that filming is at least two years away.”

So, that may not be what Bond fans want to hear, but that’s the reality of the situation. Besides, Craig’s swan song as Bond only just happened, and his take on the character is still very fresh in the minds of movie fans. A reinvention of Bond means just about anything, too. Craig’s Bond was the gruffest, grittiest take on what has always been a suave character outside of Timothy Dalton‘s brief rendition of the spy. That was quite a departure for the character, so what could Broccoli and Wilson do after Craig that’s a true reinvention? An older, greyer, less invincible Bond? A Black, Asian, or Middle-Eastern Bond?  According to Broccoli, it won’t be a female or non-British Bond, but anything else could happen.

Another significant factor in Bond’s future is Amazon’s recent purchase of MGM. After Amazon completed the $8.5 billion acquisition in March, they now own MGM, which means they also own James Bond. Or at least half of James Bond. The other half of the character remains held by Broccoli and Wilson, who inherited the rights from longtime Bond producer Albert R. Broccoli. Both Broccoli and Wilson shot down rumors last year that Bond would head the TV series route following Amazon’s purchase of MGM, with Broccoli stating, “We make films. We make films for the cinema. That’s what we do.” Still, that doesn’t mean Amazon may not want to do something totally different with the character. That may not be the reinvention Broccoli has in mind for Bond, though.

Whatever happens, there will be big changes to the James Bond character in the next couple of years, but it will be a while before those become known to the public. Broccoli’s time frame of “at least two years” gives moviegoers a better idea of when to expect Bond onscreen next, though, whatever form that may be.