There hasn’t been a new James Bond movie released since Spectre in 2015, as the producers spent an inordinate amount of time determining who would direct the next film, and whether or not Daniel Craig would return for a fifth turn in the tuxedo.
It was announced a few months ago that Craig would indeed be back for one more movie, and that Cary Joji Fukunaga, the man who directed Sin Nombre and the first season of True Detective, would direct the film, with some writing help from Phoebe Waller-Bridge and a release date in April 2020.
Now, more details have been announced about the still-entitled 25th 007 film.
In a press event at the Jamaica estate that was used for such past Bond films as Dr. No and Live and Let Die, the producers announced that Rami Malek, who won Best Actor last year for Bohemian Rhapsody, would star in the next James Bond film, presumably as the main villain. Ana de Armas, best known for Blade Runner 2049, will also be in the film, as will Billy Magnussen.
Per The Hollywood Reporter, the film’s plot begins with Bond essentially retired from active service, until he’s pressed to come back and assist with the rescue of a kidnapped scientist.
Much of the usual gang from the Craig era of Bond films – Ralph Fiennes as M, Ben Whishaw as Q, Naomie Harris as Miss Moneypenny, and Jeffrey Wright as Felix Leiter – will also return. In addition, Lea Seydoux will return, becoming a rare Bond Girl in more than one 007 film.
The five-year break is an unusually long one between Bond movies in cases in which the series hasn’t been rebooted with a new actor. It was delayed by Craig’s uncertainty over whether or not to return – leading to speculation about everyone from Idris Elba to Tom Hiddleston possibly stepping in to replace him – as well as the departure of director Danny Boyle.
Craig has been playing Bond since Casino Royale in 2006, making his 14-year run the longest of any of the actors to play the part of the British secret agent. He’s also 51, which is two years older than Pierce Brosnan was for his last Bond movie in 2002.
The still-untitled 2020 movie, when it arrives, will be the 25th official Bond movie produced by Eon Productions and the Broccoli family; that count does not include the unauthorized 1983 remake Never Say Never Again or the 1967 spoof Casino Royale.
