Despite the fact that we still have no idea who is actually going to be playing 007 in the next installment of the franchise, it seems likeJames Bond 25is moving ahead. We recently reported that the production is in advanced negotiations toshoot in Croatialater this year, which means that the creative team must have a pretty good idea of who is going on a mission for MI6 this time around. According toDaniel Craig’sSkyfallandSpectreco-starNaomie Harris, there is a very good chance he will be back for the nextJames Bondmovie.
The 40-year-old actress, who stars in the Oscar-nominatedMoonlightand has been playing Moneypenny inJames Bondas of late, recently spoke withBBCand the subject of the next installment of the long-standing spy franchise came up. Things have been uncertain sinceSpectre, withDaniel Craiginitially saying that he would rather “slash his wrists” than play the character again. He later walked back those comments, saying that he would miss playingBondterribly, but he is still reportedly undecided about returning.Naomie Harrisgave us all hope that he is, in fact, coming back. Here is what she had to say.
“I really don’t think that they’ve moved on from Daniel. I think there’s a very good chance that Daniel will come back. I think it’s way too early to be thinking about other people at this stage…I think the fact that the last two Bonds, Spectre and Skyfall, have been the highest-grossing Bond movies of all time shows that people love him as Bond, and they desperately want him to return. And I don’t think Daniel is immune to that… I think he’s very aware, so I think that adds an extra level of pressure. But he has to ultimately do what feels right to him. But I know that we, as a cast, collectively want him back. I know that Barbara and Michael, ourproducers, desperately want him back, so I think the only person that needs persuading is Daniel.”
If it is indeedDaniel Craigplaying the role of 007 inJames Bond 25, the series will likely be continuing the storyline that was left somewhat open-ended at the end ofSpectre, which saw him seemingly walking away from things with Madeleine (Lea Seydoux) and deciding not to kill Blofeld (Christoph Waltz). If it is a new actor, they will be going in a new direction and will likely be hitting the reset button on the series to some degree. So far, names likeMichael Fassbender,Tom Hiddleston,Aidan TurnerandIdris Elbahave all been thrown around.Tom Hardyrecently expressed interest in possibly taking on the role ifChristopher Nolanwere in the director’s chair.
With the most recent reports claiming that shooting will take place in Croatia later this year, it does imply that behind the scenes, things must be coming together. It also stands to reason that the producers wouldn’t just slide another actor in forDaniel Craigand just continue on with the rest of the same cast fromSpectre. So, given thatNaomie Harrisseems like she has at least been somewhat in contact with the studio, it feels more and more like Sony and MGM have managed to coaxDaniel Craigback for at least one more go as the iconicIan Fleming character.
There is no release date set forJames Bond 25, but we do know that directorSam Mendeswon’t be back. As for who could direct,John Wick directorChad Stahelski recently expressed interest in taking on the franchise. We’ll have to continue waiting until some official statement is released, but this is an encouraging bit of news for those who wantDaniel Craigto get one more shot at it.
