After 15 years in the tuxedo, No Time to Die marks the end of Daniel Craig's reign as legendary super-spy James Bond. But what's next for the 007 franchise? WARNING: Mild spoilers ahead.<\/p>\n
It seems an awful long time since anyone else starred as the world'smost famous fictional spy and it was - Pierce Brosnan's last outing as 007came nearly 20 years ago in 2002.<\/p>\n
So as we wave goodbye to Daniel Craig - an actor who took ownership of the role and shaped Bond into an all together different creature - there are big questions as to where the Eon producers will head next.<\/p>\n
As always, we are promised at the end of the latest instalmentthat \"James Bond will return\" and the debate over Craig's replacement has filled column inches ever since the 53-year-old announced he was hanging up his licence to kill.<\/p>\n
But the more interesting question for me is not who - but HOWBond will return.<\/p>\n
Talk of a \"hard reset\" isn'tparticularly new. Rumours first surfaced in 2015 before the release of Spectre - which at the time was expected to be Craig's last appearance as 007 -that a change of era was something being considered.<\/p>\n
But now that many audiences have seen the emotional and dramatic ending of No Time to Die, tongues are wagging once again.<\/p>\n
The bold finale, if anything, showed that those behind the franchise are not afraid to shake (and stir)things up.<\/p>\n
We've seen a reboot before of course, albeit a softer one, at the beginning of the Craig era in Casino Royale.<\/p>\n
There we saw Bond as an up and coming spy, who had just received his double-ostatus, and over the four films that followed we witnessed the rise of the agent, culminating in his retirement from the secret service.<\/p>\n
Daniel Craig and Ana de Armas in No Time to Die- Credit: Nicola Dove<\/p>\n
But going forwards, Ithink there are two ways it could go.<\/p>\n
Bond 26 will need a new crop of support actors so either you cast a young James Bond and take it back to the start, as they did in Casino Royale, for a fresh tone of new films set in the present or - andthis would be my preference - you leavethe modern day andtake it back tothe 1960s.<\/p>\n
What could be better than seeing Bondin an erawithout the internet, mobile phones or high-tech gadgets again?<\/p>\n
A return to his Ian Fleming roots where a bit of a good old-fashionedespionage is the order of the day?<\/p>\n
I think it's also fair to say the 1960s would be a little more Bond-friendly but that doesn't mean the character has to go back to the dark ages either.<\/p>\n
Handling the attitudes of the time, and Bond's shortcomings, will needsome care, but I've no doubt a good scriptwriter would be able to get the tone right.<\/p>\n
It could look fantastic as well, the fashions, the cars, the hedonism of the time could all make for a stylish and thrilling return to the big screen for 007.<\/p>\n
Sean Connery played Bond in the 1960s - will we see a reboot made in that era?- Credit: PA<\/p>\n
Another important question is whether we will see a story arc with the new Bond?<\/p>\n
Craig's five filmswere the first to do that, with the shadowy influence of Spectre looming throughout, but is this the template going forward?<\/p>\n
Each new Bond to get his own arc during his multi-filmtenure?<\/p>\n
Maybe but I don't think it necessarily needs to be. Stand alone movies with the same actors could be just as successful.<\/p>\n
Whatever happens, it'sa hugecall for Mrs Broccoli and Mr Wilson - and one I dearly hope they get right.<\/p>\n
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Go here to see the original:<\/p>\n
Will Bond 26 go back in time to the 1960s? - Sudbury Mercury<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" After 15 years in the tuxedo, No Time to Die marks the end of Daniel Craig's reign as legendary super-spy James Bond. But what's next for the 007 franchise? WARNING: Mild spoilers ahead. Continue reading