Next James Bond auditions ‘wide open’ – MGM on 007 future after Daniel Craig

It’s been almost two months since Daniel Craig’s fifth and final James Bond movie No Time To Die hit cinemas. The 60th anniversary of the 007 film franchise is looming next year and a Licence to Kill is up for grabs for the first time in over 15 years. Bond producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G Wilson have barely teased what’s next for Ian Fleming’s spy, leaning on the fact they were focusing on the outgoing star’s swan song.

But now No Time To Die has been and gone, surely it’s time for them to start thinking about the next James Bond?

The Hollywood Reporter recently caught up with MGM’s Motion Picture Group President to find out.

The outlet asked Pamela Abdy: “I might as well get this out of the way. Who is going to be the next 007 now that Daniel Craig is done?”

To which, the executive replied: “It’s wide open. We’ve had very early preliminary conversations with Barbara [Broccoli] and Michael [Wilson], but we wanted Daniel to have his last hurrah.”

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The secretive 007 auditions will be by invitation only, but given that they’re “wide open” suggests the producers are up for as radical a change as Casino Royale after Die Another Day.

Broccoli has said that Bond 26 will be a “reimagining” and although Fleming’s spy will remain male, she’s happy to consider actors of any race.

Traditionally, the lucky few to test screen for 007 perform a scene from the next movie and a classic one in Sean Connery’s From Russia with Love.

The latter sees Bond walk into a bedroom wearing only a towel while holding a gun and approaching a woman on the bed.

When asked for her stance on guns on set in wake of the Rust tragedy, the MGM executive said: “I don’t think there should ever be live ammunition on a set.

“And we also understand creatively the need to not censor a story where a gun is part of the scene.

“That said, we take on-set safety seriously on every production and aim to utilize visual effects and enhance sound effects wherever possible.”

No Time To Die is out now in cinemas and is available to rent on digital download, while physical copies can be purchased from December 20, 2021.


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source: express.co.uk