Despite years of tabloid reports/online rumors of various frontrunners and shortlists for a new James Bond actor (to join the yet-to-be-titled Bond 26), franchise producer Barbara Broccoli of EON Productions is pouring cold water, yet again, on the idea they’ve even started looking for someone new to replace Daniel Craig.

While speaking with BBC Radio 4’s Today (via Deadline), the producer revealed they won’t even begin “thinking” about starting the search until 2022.

“We want Daniel to have his time of celebration. Next year we’ll start thinking about the future.”

The assumption is that they likely didn’t think Daniel Craig was ultimately retiring, because she also suggested in the interview it took her a while to accept that was happening jokingly stating she was in “denial.” Adding that the Craig was reluctant to even take the part in the beginning.

“He knew it would change his life, which it obviously has. He enabled us to explore the emotional life of Bond, to go deeply into the personal, complexity of the character.”

I don’t think they would have minded another film with Craig, but it certainly sounded like when he accepted to return for No Time To Die, he was serious about it being his final outing as James Bond, something that has been part of the marketing of the film.

It’ll be interesting if they continue the trend of keeping on supporting actors with the new James Bond actor as they’ve previously done with the various incarnations or will take a more drastic hard-reboot approach by replacing everyone.

There had been previous rumblings that co-writer Phoebe Waller-Bridge (No Time To Die, Fleabag) has already started working on Bond 26, but remains to be seen when they’ll actually get that up and ready for cameras.

Names such as Michael Fassbender, Idris Elba, Tom Hiddleston, Tom Hardy, Henry Cavill, Jamie Bell, Rege-Jean Page, Riz Ahmed, Richard Madden, Henry Golding, Aidan Turner, James Norton, Cillian Murphy, Sam Heughan, and Jack Lowden have been previously asked to comment on potentially taking on the role or have been mused/rumored for it (the latter doesn’t seem to be terribly trustworthy).

However, multiple statements from producers would suggest they haven’t even started thinking about actors. Then again, since franchise producers rarely comment on Bond stories it allows tabloids to post fake casting stories without much rebuke.

Fans will just have to be patient.

No Time To Die will release domestically on October 8.

The rest of the cast will include Lea Seydoux as Madeleine Swann, Rami Malek (Bohemian Rhapsody) as a new villain named Safin (Dr. No?), Jeffrey Wright (Westworld) as Felix Leiter, Ralph Fiennes (The King’s Man) as M, Christoph Waltz returning as Spectre’s Blofeld, Naomie Harris as Moneypenny, Ana de Armas (Blade Runner 2049, Knives Out) as Paloma, Ben Whishaw as Q, Billy Magnussen, Rory Kinnear as Bill Tanner, David Dencik, and Dali Benssalah.

NO TIME TO DIE – Bond has left active service and is enjoying a tranquil life in Jamaica. His peace is short-lived when his old friend Felix Leiter from the CIA turns up asking for help. The mission to rescue a kidnapped scientist turns out to be far more treacherous than expected, leading Bond onto the trail of a mysterious villain armed with dangerous new technology. 

SOURCE: BBC