When you think about big film franchises, a few probably spring instantly to mind. The Marvel Cinematic Universe, Harry Potter, and Star Wars are classic examples. James Bond ranks pretty high up there alongside them, as not only are there a whopping twenty-five films in its catalogue, but it has been doing the rounds for over sixty years. It’s longevity and popularity is no doubt due to a handful of factors.
Those being jaw-dropping action sequences, debonair leads, iconic villains, alluring women, exotic locations, and multi-layered plots. However, these key elements haven’t always been enough to keep viewers interested, and over time, the character of Bond has morphed and changed. Partly to move with the times and partly to keep things fresh and interesting.
A Changing Relationship with Bond Over Time
I’ve been a fan of Bond since a young lad and always enjoyed the films, but it was only returning to the films a few years ago that I realised that my relationship with the suave spy has changed quite a lot.
As a kid, my favourite Bond was Sean Connery, and as I got older, that soon switched to Timothy Dalton before finally settling on Daniel Craig. While this is mainly because Daniel Craig is objectively the best Bond, there is another reason. And that is fundamentally that the original character of James Bond is a womanizing, backstabbing pig of a man.
I wasn’t aware of this as a child, as watching films such as Goldfinger, all I noticed were the cool car chases, amazing gadgets, and entertaining villains.
Problematic Aspects of Early Bond Films
Rewatching the films as a fully grown adult, I now realise how problematic they are. The Connery ones in particular are almost unwatchable due to Bond’s appalling treatment of women, the film’s frequent casual racism, and the lack of remorse Bond feels for anything he does or anyone he hurts.
As the years have gone on, Bond has slowly improved with regards to these issues, although at a somehow depressingly slow rate. You only have to look at some of the Pierce Brosnan films to sadly realise that these issues were still present well into the early 2000s.
Attempts to Modernise Bond: Roger Moore and Timothy Dalton
What’s even more aggravating is that in both the latter part of Roger Moore’s run and during Timothy Dalton‘s brief two-film stint, EON began to explore a more sensitive and respectful side to Bond. Still problematic, but a Bond with a bit more compassion and depth.
The Challenge of Staying Faithful to the Source Material
The thing that has always been tricky to overcome is the source material. If you think some of the earlier Bond films are problematic, they pale in comparison to the books. In the Goldfinger novel, Pussy Galore is gay, and Bond makes it his task to cure her of her lesbianism, and Live and Let Die is just straight-up racist.
The Daniel Craig Era: Revitalising Bond with Casino Royale
So the question is, how do you alter a character such as Bond, making him more tolerable and digestible for audiences while staying faithful enough to the original creation? Enter Casino Royale in 2006.
The Bond we see at the start of the film is very familiar: cold and uncaring, a user of women, indifferent to his actions. As the film develops, we start to see a change in Bond as he develops feelings for Vesper.
Screenwriters Neal Purvis and Robert Wade cleverly establish an iteration of Bond that fits the original creation. Then slowly and gradually, they begin to make subtle changes to show growth, depth, and complexity to Bond that is absent in many of the other films.
Even more impressive is how they do this not only in Casino Royale but over the course of the next four films.
Bond’s Character Development Across the Craig Films
Not only does his character development continue from film to film, but also the overarching plot. Each entry has its own storyline but is part of a bigger whole. Previously, there have been slight connections between films but extremely tenuous ones. By having a connected Craig collection, it achieves two things.
It provides proper character development and offers something fresh and unique, reinvigorating the franchise, which was struggling after the Pierce poor film Die Another Day.
The Uncertain Future of James Bond
I believe we are now in a similar position to that with a new Bond somewhere on the distant horizon, but no one yet to be announced. You could argue that it’s a slightly better position based on the popular conclusion of No Time to Die giving Craig’s Bond a fitting farewell.
Alternatively, you could claim it is a worse position as the bar is set high, putting pressure on the next film to not only match but exceed its predecessor.
The Bold Approach of No Time to Die
No Time to Die arguably dared to change Bond the most, introducing a genuinely surprising twist to his character. Its self-aware nature is part of the film’s success. Having another 007, whose ideals and viewpoints are far more modern thinking, challenged Bond, who was still fairly old-fashioned in his opinions and actions.
This clash between the old and new eventually gives way to a perfect pairing of the two.It’s a bold approach, and even more interesting is how the film is probably one of the most nostalgic entries to date, with multiple nods to past Bonds, be it signature cars, classic music, or iconic moments.
Furthermore, it hones its focus on the handful of aspects that weren’t offensive in the originals. The elements I focused on as a kid.
Can the Franchise Continue?
So where do we go now? No Time to Die had a fantastic ending, and although its sense of closure is specific to Craig’s Bond, I felt its finality would have served as a perfect conclusion to the film series as a whole.
It’s hard to keep things fresh after twenty-five films. As good a job as films such as Skyfall and No Time to Die did, they are still subject to repeating plots, characters, and, to some extent, action sequences.
Navigating Bond’s Relevance in a Modern World
Especially with Bond, an archaic character that feels out of place in today’s world. Something that No Time to Die highlights on multiple occasions. But that’s just the point. The last Bond film ran with that idea.
To replicate that again would lack originality and simply replicate an already applied formula. The whole idea of No Time to Die is, by the end of the film, he’s passing the torch onto 007.
The Dilemma of Reinventing Bond
Maybe it’s just limited thinking on my part, but as it stands, I can only see two creative choices going forward.
Either they distance themselves as much from Craig by having Bond cold, calculated, and cocky, or they continue to explore a more sensitive and emotionally complex version of the character. The problem is both have been done before.
Potential Directions for a New Bond
Now, I’ve been proven wrong before on a handful of occasions when a new instalment has been added. Toy Story 4, for example, took me by surprise, and Godzilla Minus One was excellent. Both from film franchises I thought were dead in the water. One thing Bond could definitely explore is the gadget side of things.
Craig’s Bond did have a handful of gadgets, but most were grounded and realistic compared to the larger-than-life gizmos of the older iterations of Bond. It makes sense given the emphasis on gritty realism.
However, that’s what could work in favour of a new Bond. Even Bond-like shows such as Alex Rider have scaled back the gadgets compared to the books.
Although it has been enjoyable to see this shift, I would be quite keen to see some more crazy gadgets once more, and I’m sure I’m not alone in my thinking.
A New Approach: Tech-Savvy Bond?
Also, potentially the idea of a tech-savvy Bond could work. Someone who still uses their fists but also utilizes technology to best his opponents. This would simultaneously honour the gadgets of old while modernising and contextualising for a Bond of our time.
It would also be interesting to see another time period. Perhaps a thirties Bond or even a slightly futuristic one.
The Issue of Bond’s Age
But then there is the issue of age. Throughout the twenty-five films, we’ve seen Bond at a number of different stages of his life. While we’ve yet to see a really old Bond, Craig was definitely quite seasoned in his last outing.
Furthermore, if Bond is too old, it risks becoming unrealistic. We don’t want a “geriaction” film on our hands.
Newbie Bond makes sense in terms of resetting the timeline after No Time to Die, but that was already done with Casino Royale, it serving as a reboot of sorts. This only leaves teen Bond, which personally I would love, but based on the casting calls, I doubt very much.
Plus, it would end up being incredibly similar to Alex Rider, which was a great thing in its own right.
Final Thoughts: The Future of the Bond Franchise
We’re definitely at a crossroads at this point in the Bond timeline of films. I hope that they do come up with an effective way to reboot this character once again. However, bearing in mind that they still haven’t cast the titular figure, I’m quite apprehensive. As much as I love these films (particularly Craig’s and Dalton’s), I feel it is a bad idea to resurrect this character once again.
Personally, I feel a better idea would be to develop Lashana Lynch‘s 007 character more in her own series and move away from Bond into the extended universe of characters.
For now, it’s all a matter of watching this space and seeing what EON has in store for us next with cinema’s most famous secret agent.
Written by Dan Ashby
