The future of James Bond could be on TV or streaming, say No Time to Die producers. Ian Fleming first introduced the character of British agent 007 James Bond in the novel Casino Royale in 1953, and went on to pen 13 more Bond books before his death in 1964.

Fleming’s books were definitely popular, but the character of Bond did not truly achieve pop culture immortality until he was played by Sean Connery in the Bond films beginning with 1962’s Dr. No. George Lazenby, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton and Pierce Brosnan would all take their turns playing Bond as the series evolved over the decades while maintaining more or less consistent levels of popularity (except for a few dips here and there). The modern era of Bond began in 2006 when Casino Royale handed the role of 007 to Daniel Craig, who is about to star as Bond for the fifth and final time in No Time to Die. After the 25th Bond film hits theaters, the future of franchise is very much up in the air as Craig departs, leaving the coveted Bond role open for the first time in almost fifteen years.

To be sure, the media landscape is very different now than it was even in 2006 when Craig first tackled Bond, with TV and streaming taking on a more and more prominent role. The Bond franchise has largely avoided TV of course, outside of the films being staples of network “Movie of the Week” presentations and cable channels, but all that could change according to producer Barbara Broccoli. Speaking to Variety, Broccoli said that all options are in play for Bond when it comes to the future:

Bond of course is one of the most cinematic of all movie franchises, with its emphasis on exotic locales and big action set pieces, so it makes sense that Broccoli would wish to keep the series on the big screen. However, the Bond brand has shown that it can be profitable in other media through video games, including the classic N64 title Goldeneye. Indeed, today the N64 Goldeneye is probably more important from a pop culture standpoint than the actual film Goldeneye.

“We make these films for the audiences. We like to think that they’re going to be seen primarily on the big screen. But having said that, we have to look to the future. Our fans are the ones who dictate how they want to consume their entertainment. I don’t think we can rule anything out, because it’s the audience that will make those decisions. Not us.”

There was a time when the thought of a Bond TV series would have been slightly unthinkable given the limitations of the form, but now TV shows can look just as good as movies and deliver action on par with the biggest Hollywood films (with the budgets rising as well), so it’s now possible to imagine Bond making the leap to the small screen and not losing a lot. Indeed, shows like 24, Jack Ryan and Killing Eve already deliver Bond-like experiences that retain a certain cinematic quality while also taking advantage of the longer form that TV and streaming offer. Going by Broccoli’s statements, it doesn’t seem there’s any specific plan to bring Bond to the small screen after No Time to Die wraps up Craig’s tenure as 007, but it does sound like producers are at least open to the idea.

More: James Bond: 5 Rip-Offs Worth Watching (& 5 To Avoid)

Source: Variety

  • Bond 25 Release Date: 2021-10-08