The hunt for the next James Bond continues, and new series co-producer Amy Pascal has said we could know who Daniel Craig's successor as 007 is by the end of this year.
Speaking to Deadline about the box office success of Spider-Man: Brand New Day, which just beat Avengers: Endgame's opening weekend record, Pascal offered an update on the long-awaited, Denis Villeneuve-directed Bond movie, including when we can expect a new 007 to be cast. "I would say the end of the year is a good bet," Pascal said. Back in May, we learned that Game of Thrones casting director Nina Gold was leading the search for the next British super spy, with auditions set to take place over the summer.
It's been almost six years since Daniel Craig's final outing as Bond in No Time to Die, and it seems that Villeneuve, Pascal, fellow producer David Heyman and studio Amazon MGM aren't going to rush into a decision. "We are being really, really methodical," Pascal continued. "Having worked with Barbara Broccoli at the studio, I mean, Daniel Craig is a hard act to follow. And it's got to be something really different that is stirring and exciting and different."
At Amazon's CinemaCon presentation back in April, the studio's head of film, Courtenay Valenti, addressed the Bond question, claiming that the search is taking so long because of the "care and deep respect" for the process of casting a new 007. Plenty of actors are rumored to be in contention, from Callum Turner to Jacob Elordi. One person who definitely won't be playing Bond, however, is Henry Cavill, who famously auditioned to play Bond 20 years ago, but now thinks he'd be better suited to play a Bond villain.
All we know for sure is that Dune's Denis Villeneuve will direct the first Amazon MGM Bond movie, with Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight currently penning the script. But even if the new Bond is announced this side of Christmas, it could still be several years until we see the next installment, as Villeneuve is still busy with Dune: Part 3.
While we wait for the next Bond to be announced, check out our list of the best James Bond movies to watch now.
