Ways to Mark Bond Day While the Next 007 Stays a Mystery?

Arriving this weekend is Bond Day, if you weren't aware – October 5th is recognized as a international celebration dedicated to the world of 007, thanks to it marking the anniversary of the world premiere of the first Bond film, with Sean Connery, back in 1962. Think of it similar to Star Wars Day, with fewer Wookiees and Ewoks and an abundance of elegant confidence.

A Muted Observance Now

Yet this time around, the coming of JBD seems somewhat underwhelming. Not long has passed following Denis Villeneuve was revealed as the director the upcoming 007 movie in June, and even less time since writer Steven Knight was hired to write the script. But there’s been little to no sign afterwards about the future agent getting unveiled, with minimal clarity about the direction this venerable franchise will proceed. The only information are whisperings on the wind via the Hollywood trades implying that the film-makers intend to cast a relatively youthful Brit, who might be from a diverse background yet will not be a female actor, an established star, or somebody slightly known.

Bad News for Betting Agencies

This is, of course a setback for the hordes internet betting sites who have been earning significant profits for months now by attempting to persuade punters that it is a race between a shortlist of actors along with the attractive actor featured in Saltburn with Australian origins.

A Return to the Unknown

Notably, the previous instance the film series opted for a complete unknown was in 1969, as George Lazenby temporarily assumed the Walther PPK. Earlier, Sean Connery certainly wasn’t a star: he had had some small movie parts plus occasional theater and modeling jobs as well as working in fitness and milk delivery in Edinburgh before landing the lead role in the first film. Producers Cubby Broccoli and Harry Saltzman intentionally rejected a household name; they sought someone fresh whom audiences would believe as the actual character, as opposed to a star in the role.

Trying this approach once more could turn out to be a brilliant tactic, exactly as it was in the early 1960s.

Director's Influence

However, bringing in Villeneuve on board suggests that there's no room for error at all should the next 007 proves to be unconvincing. Amplifying the exploding pens and suggestive humor is no longer an option with a director like is a serious filmmaker known for genre films renowned for dense futuristic stories in which the most intense element is deep philosophical tension.

An aggressive type in black tie … Daniel Craig as Bond in Casino Royale.

Updated Vision for 007

However, to a large extent, selecting this director provides clear signals that are essential about the new post-Craig phase. It's unlikely there will be stealth automobiles or double entendres, and it's doubtful we'll see Sheriff JW Pepper back any time soon. This entire situation is, of course, absolutely fine for those who prefer your James Bond updated for today. However, it leaves unclear how Villeneuve’s take on Britain’s suavest state-sponsored assassin will distinguish itself against earlier agents from the recent past especially if the upcoming phase decides against to take the whole story in the initial decades.

Reinventing All Chapters

Craig was instantly distinctive as a new kind of elegant secret agent as he appeared on the scene in 2006’s Casino Royale, a tough character in formal attire who would never be seen in a stealth vehicle, or trading sex puns with co-stars during bomb disposal. He rendered Brosnan's tech-dependent charmer who only a few years previously was regarded by certain critics as the best Bond since Connery, seem like a copycat version left too long in the microwave. This pattern is familiar. Lazenby succeeded Connery temporarily, Brosnan followed the underappreciated Dalton, and cheesy late-era Roger Moore succeeded the gritty initial Moore. All franchise chapters alters the prior, however, every version remains in their own way the iconic spy, deserving of a toast. It's somewhat strange, as we apparently celebrate the annual Bond celebration, that we are asked to honor a character that is not yet chosen.