As the wait for the next James Bond star continues, Amazon boss Jennifer Salke has shed some light into the delicate process behind the eagerly-anticipated casting.
There has been no end to the speculation over which actor will be stepping into the coveted role for the next movie in the long-running British spy franchise after Daniel Craig’s swan song, No Time To Die, in 2021.
From rumoured favourite Aaron-Taylor Johnson to rising star Aaron Pierre to Hollywood hearthrobs Theo James and Henry Cavill and even Oscar nominee Saoirse Ronan – anyone and everyone is in with a chance at nabbing the title Britain’s favourite fictional MI6 agent.
But three years on, fans are starting to get restless, with no updates to quench the thirst for new Bond content.
Despite the immense pressure to deliver the news we have all been waiting for, global head of Amazon MGM Studios Jenifer is in no rush.
‘There are a lot of ideas [for the next Bond actor] that have popped up that I thought are interesting,’ she said. ‘I think there are a lot of different ways we can go.’
Despite Amazon MGM’s half-ownership of the Bond franchise (secured as part of a whopping £6.4million deal to buy MGM in 2021) ultimate creative control lies with UK studio Eon Productions.
The company is run by Barbara Broccoli and Michael G Wilson who also hold all the power over who will take over from Daniel.
And Jennifer is happy to leave it in their hands entirely, citing Amazon MGM’s ‘good and close relationship’ with the duo.
She added to The Guardian: ‘We are not looking to disrupt the way those wonderful films are made. For us, we are taking their lead.
‘The global audience will be patient. We don’t want too much time between films, but we are not concerned at this point.’
So far the biggest gap between two films in the franchise is six years with Spectre and No Time To Die, although at that point at least fans knew Daniel would be returning for his final hurrah.
But even if the ball got rolling on the next film tomorrow, there would most likely be another two year wait, making this latest hiatus even more unbearable.
Recent reports from industry insiders confirmed there is still no actor, no director and no script attached to the upcoming film although producing partners have a ‘concept and a plan to reinvent the franchise’.
Nonetheless, The Times reported we could finally secure that long awaited announcement in November when Barbara and Michael collect the Irving G Thalberg award.
For those who simple can’t wait any longer, there are plenty of movies to dip back into the franchise’s 62-year history and now all (bar 2) are available to watch on Amazon Prime making them easier to access than ever.
As for who is sat behind the camera, filmmaker Sam Mendes (behind Skyfall and Spectre) shared exactly who the producers would be keen to take up the director role.
‘‘They want slightly more malleable people who are earlier in their career,’ he told Inverse. ‘[People] who perhaps are going to use it as a stepping stone, and who are more controllable by the studio.’
And added that he very much doubts he will ever make a return to the set.