One of the longest-running franchises in cinematic history, famed spy 007 will return in the upcoming Bond 25. The film sees Daniel Craig (who has been in the role since 2006's Casino Royale) return to the fold. After the divisiveness of Spectre, many thought the series would enter a new era, but Craig is hoping to end his tenure on a high note with another exciting mission. Here's all you need to know about the sequel.
- James Bond 25
- Release Date: February 14, 2020
- Cast: Daniel Craig
- Director: Cary Fukunaga
- Writer: Neal Purvis, Robert Wade
Last Update: September 20, 2018
Daniel Craig Plays James Bond For the Final Time
After Spectre, it looked like Craig's tenure as 007 was over. Not only did the film's ending send the spy literally riding off with his love, Craig himself seemed over the franchise. He was particularly prickly during Spectre promotion, at one point saying he'd rather slit his wrists than portray the character again. However, he later changed his tune and signed on for one more mission, saying he wants to conclude his time as Bond on a high note with Bond 25.
Read More: Bond 25 Is Daniel Craig's Next Movie
No Bond 25 Supporting Cast Is Confirmed
Several of Bond's MI6 allies from Skyfall, including Ralph Fiennes' M, Naomi Harris' Eve Moneypenny, and Ben Wishaw's Q returned for Spectre. It's reasonable to assume they'll all be back for the next sequel, but nobody is officially signed on at this point in time. Presumably that will change soon, since Bond 25 needs to start filming soon to make its release date.
Read More: Naomi Harris Unsure If She'll Be In Bond 25
Christoph Waltz Won't Play Blofeld In Bond 25
Two-time Academy Award winner Christoph Waltz was cast as Spectre's main villain, revealed to be famed Bond nemesis Ernst Blofeld. In the film, he also went by the name Franz Oberhauser and was Bond's foster brother. Blofeld was left alive at the end of Spectre, seemingly as a way to carry him over into a sequel. However, Waltz has gone on record to say while he would have liked to come back, he will not be returning to the franchise.
Read More: Christoph Waltz Will Not Be In Bond 25
Helena Bonham Carter is Rumored For Bond 25 Villain
Bond villains are cinematic legend at this point, so there's always much interest in who will torment 007 next. With Waltz out of the picture, that distinction could fall to Helena Bonham Carter, who is reportedly at the top of the producers' list for the antagonist. Carter has played a wide range of characters throughout her career, so she would be a strong fit.
Read More: Helena Bonham Carter Rumored For Bond 25
Bond 25 Does Not Have An Official Title
As many fans know by now, Bond 25 is merely a placeholder for the film's official name, which will be revealed at some point in the future. One of the bigger rumors about the film indicates it will be called Shatterhand and draw inspiration from the novel Never Dream of Dying by Raymond Benson. The plans for Bond 25 seem to have changed since that speculation came out, so viewers shouldn't read too much into that right now, however.
Read More: Bond 25 Rumored Title & Villain Details
Beyonce May Record Bond 25 Theme Song
One of the franchise's most noteworthy trademarks is the song that plays over the stylized opening credits sequence. Every film sees a different artist lend their talents - to varying degrees of success. Bond 25 might bring out the big guns by recruiting none other than Beyonce to sing the tune. Arguably, Adele's 'Skyfall' is the bar for themes in the Craig era, so it'll be interesting to see if Beyonce (or whoever takes the job) can try to match the Oscar winning number.
Read More: Beyonce Rumored To Record Bond 25 Theme Song
Bond 25's Distribution Rights
When Craig first took on the role in 2006's Casino Royale, it marked the beginning of MGM's partnership with Sony, who distributed the films worldwide. That contract was for four films, meaning it expired with the release of Spectre. Hollywood became embroiled in an intense bidding war for the Bond rights, with several major studios vying for the tentpole. In the end, it was indie upstart Annapurna Pictures that landed the domestic rights, with Universal securing international. Bond is one of the biggest properties worldwide, so there's lots of money to be made here.
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Read More: Bond 25 Production & Distribution Details Confirmed
Cary Fukunaga Directs Bond 25
Originally, Oscar-winner Danny Boyle was pegged to direct Bond 25, but he departed due to creative differences with the producers and Craig. EON quickly put together a search for a replacement and landed on True Detective's Cary Fukunaga, who also directed the Netflix film Beasts of the Southern Wild. He becomes the first American to call the shots on a Bond film and should offer a unique perspective.
Read More: Cary Fukunaga Is The Answer to All Bond 25's Problems
Neal Purvis & Robert Wade Write Bond 25
When Boyle was attached, the Bond 25 script was set to be written by Trainspotting scribe John Hodge - injecting the franchise with some much-needed new blood in regards to writing. But now that Boyle has left the project, it's reasonable to assume Hodge is going with him. That's precisely what's happening, as reports indicate franchise veterans Neal Purvis and Robert Wade (who have written every Bond film since 1999) are returning.
Read More: James Bond Desperately Needs New Writers
Bond 25 Begins Filming March 2019
Bond 25 was originally supposed to start filming by the end of this year, but that isn't happening anymore. As EON conducted their director search, Craig signed on for Rian Johnson's mystery-thriller Knives Out, which begins production in November. Obviously, MI6 needs to wait for their leading man to be free. Coinciding with the Fukunaga announcement, the studio confirmed production will begin in March 2019.
Read More: Daniel Craig Teams With Rian Johnson For Knives Out
Bond 25 Does Not Have a Trailer or Poster
Since the film hasn't started shooting yet, there are no marketing materials available. Odds are, nothing will come out until late 2019 after production wraps.
More Bond 25 News
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- James Bond 25 (2020) release date: Apr 08, 2020
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James Bond is a British franchise behemoth, boasting multiple facelifts and reboots that manage to keep it current without losing the essence of what Bond is – a smooth AF secret agent, serial shagger and international man of mystery who almost always gets his guy. And girl come to that.
The last four instalments have seen 'James Blond' Daniel Craig take on the mantle of 007, and now it's been confirmed that he will return for a fifth.
This will be 25th in the James Bond series and news is rather scarce right now but we'll keep this story updated regularly to make it your one-stop shop for everything you need to know about Bond, James Bond, 25.
Bond 25 release date: Delayed again
Following the departure of Danny Boyle as director (more on that in a bit), it was reported that the movie would be delayed from its November 2019 release date.
That has turned out to be the case as along with the announcement of Cary Joji Fukunaga as director, producers confirmed that the movie will start filming at Pinewood Studios on March 4, 2019 ahead of a worldwide release date of February 14, 2020.
Then, just when we thought it couldn't happen once more, the release date was delayed again in February 2019 and filming postponed. MGM announced that it would be pushed back by two months, and is now coming out on April 3, 2020 in the UK and April 8, 2020 in the US.
Related: Should we be worried about James Bond 25?
The movie has started filming some second unit scenes in Norway, including a dramatic chase sequence across the ice, and the movie will officially go into production on April 28.
It's not yet been confirmed when filming with the cast will start, but the Italian town of Matera is set to play a significant part in the latest Bond outing, as is Jamaica (the 'spiritual home' of Bond) and London.
The location for today's #BOND25 Live Reveal is GoldenEye, 007 author Ian Fleming's Jamaican villa. pic.twitter.com/Zd7Sr8hNRd
— James Bond (@007) April 25, 2019Bond 25 cast: Daniel Craig is back!
The subject of whether Daniel Craig would return was wildly debated for what felt like FOREVER.
But finally in August 2017 he announced on the late show that yes, he would be returning, saying, 'We've been discussing it. We've just been trying to figure things out. I always wanted to, I needed a break.'
Suggesting that Bond 25 may be his 007 swansong, he added: 'I just want to go out on a high note, and I can't wait.'
Related: Why every James Bond actor quit
We're glad he's back but we must confess we hope this will be his last for various very good reasons.
Joining him in returning are Ralph Fiennes as M, Ben Whishaw as Q, Rory Kinnear as Tanner, Naomie Harris as Moneypenny, Jeffrey Wright as Felix Leiter and, as rumoured, Léa Seydoux as Dr Madeleine Swann.
Christoph Waltz apparently won't be back as Blofeld and his name wasn't mentioned in the official cast announcement.
Turning to the newcomers, all of their characters are being kept under wraps, but Bond 25 will feature Dali Benssalah, Billy Magnussen, Ana De Armas, David Dencik, Captain Marvel star Lashana Lynch and Bohemian Rhapsody's Rami Malek.
Malek had been rumoured to play a villain in the new movie and after he didn't rule it out, his message at the cast announcement seemed to confirm it: 'I will be making sure Mr Bond will not have an easy ride of it.'
A word about #BOND25 from Rami Malek pic.twitter.com/CLJ5mpO9mu
— James Bond (@007) April 25, 2019Before Boyle's exit, Wonder Woman star Said Taghmaoui revealed that he had signed on be Bond 25's villain. 'I was cast by Danny Boyle, and just now he left the project, so of course there's some uncertainty,' he explained.
Related: 9 actors you totally forgot were in James Bond
Dave Bautista isn't ruling out a return for his Spectre villain Mr Hinx – who was dragged from a train but never shown dead – either.
'There was talk. I admit it, my hopes were really high. Not so much anymore. I realise that they're well into Bond 25 – maybe into pre-production at this point – but I haven't had any inclination that they plan on using me,' he told Digital Spy.
'I was really hoping they would, because I wanted those bragging rights. I wanted to come back. I'm a fan of the franchise and I was very proud of that role and proud to be a part of it, and I was hoping they would have me back for the 25th.'
As for the Bond girls in the movie, Black Panther's Lupita Nyong'o has been rumoured, but apparently ruled out.
Bond 25 director: Creative differences
Danny Boyle was all set to take charge of Bond 25 before a shock announcement by the producers saw him leave the project.
They cited 'creative differences' as the reason he left mere months before production was expected to begin, as cameras were expected to roll in December 2018. The producers then confirmed that Cary Joji Fukunaga will take over as director on Bond 25.
But is it the right call?
Boyle later opened up about his exit, calling it a 'great shame' and hinting that it was down to what he was planning to do, reportedly killing off Bond.
As for the writers, it was reported that the movie would be written by long-time 007 duo Neal Purvis and Robert Wade, who had come up with a treatment for the film before Boyle and his writing partner John Hodge – who left shortly after Boyle – came on board.
After both were rumoured, it has been confirmed that The Bourne Ultimatum's Scott Z Burns and Fleabagcreator Phoebe Waller-Bridge have also worked on the script.
Bond 25 plot: How will Daniel Craig exit?
With the official cast announcement came our first synopsis for the movie and here it is for your eyes only:
'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.'
Not much to go on there, but perhaps we can get some hints from the original working title of Shatterhand.
That's a reference to Dr Guntram Shatterhand in Ian Fleming's 1964 Bond novel You Only Live Twice. The novel is very different to the 1967 Sean Connery film and sees 007 head to Japan after the death of his wife Tracy.
Bond is requested to assassinate Shatterhand and his wife who turn out to be Tracy's killers Ernst Stavro Blofeld and Irma Bunt. 007 eventually kills Blofeld, but loses his memory after receiving a head injury.
With Seydoux returning in Bond 25, could she be killed and set Bond on a similar path of revenge and eventual amnesia?
The only people who know for sure are the writers as Ralph Fiennes revealed in early March that he hasn't even read a script yet: 'Well I know we're shooting this year, I'm genuinely not being coy, I've not yet read a script, I don't have a start date.'
Oh, and it's not Shatterhand anymore apparently. According to Production Weekly, the working title is now Eclipse.
Bond 25 trailer: When will it land?
With all the production delays and behind-the-scenes changes, it'll be a while until we see any footage, likely late 2019 at the earliest.
But perhaps we'll get some teaser footage when cameras start rolling on the new movie, just to reassure fans that it's actually happening.
James Bond 25 will be released in the UK on April 3, 2020 and in the US on April 8, 2020.
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