After a pre-production rife with controversy and delay, there’s been an announcement concerning the 25th James Bond film – but still no signs of a title.
In a reveal that was streamed live from Jamaica, many details of the upcoming Bond film were announced to fans across the globe. Whether you were a fan or not, Rami Malek is still riding the waves of success after his Oscar win for Bohemian Rhapsody. He’ll be the newest Bond villain, playing “a mysterious villain armed with dangerous new technology.” Also confirmed to be returning were Ralph Fiennes as M, Ben Whishaw as Q, Naomie Harris as Moneypenny and Rory Kinnear as Bill Tanner. There will also be some new surprising returns, such as Lea Seydoux as Madeleine Swann, reprising her character from 2015’s Spectre, and Jeffrey Wright as ex-CIA agent Felix Leiter. Alongside Malek, new additions to the Bond franchise will be Lashana Lynch, Billy Magnussen, Ana de Armas, Dali Benssalah and David Dencik.
During the launch, Phoebe Waller-Bridge was also confirmed as “one of” the writers – reportedly at the request of Bond himself; the other writers include Neal Purvis, Robert Wade and Scott Z. Burns. The filming locations were also announced as Jamaica, Norway, London and Italy.
The first official synopsis was also revealed:
“Bond has left active service and is enjoying a tranquil life in Jamaica. His peace is short-lived when his old friend Felix Leiter from the CIA turns up asking for help. The mission to rescue a kidnapped scientist turns out to be far more treacherous than expected, leading Bond onto the trail of a mysterious villain armed with dangerous new technology.”
Many were expecting the film’s name to be released, but no such luck. The still-untitled film will be Daniel Craig’s fifth and final outing as 007, who previously stated after his fourth: “I’d rather slash my wrists than play James Bond again,” saying he’d only come back “for the money.” As deemed by popular opinion, Casino Royale and Skyfall were successess, with Quantom of Solace and Spectre receiving less-than-favourable reviews.
Bond 25 could be Daniel Craig’s last hurrah to tip the ratio in his favour, but if that quote is anything to go by, something tells us that maybe his heart is no longer in it. In fact, the film has already been riddled with problems, and it’s still in pre-production. Director Danny Boyle quit due to “creative differences,” being replaced by Cary Joji Fukunaga, and the release has been continually pushed back from its original date of November 2019.
The 25th Bond film is now due for release on 8th April, 2020.
Words by Steph Green