Production starts on next James Bond movie with key appointments and a surprise 007 favourite
Mar 27, 2025, updated Mar 27, 2025
Production on the next instalment of the 007 franchise has begun with new producers appointed and a surprise favourite emerging as the next James Bond.
Amazon MGM last year acquired the rights to the James Bond franchise in a deal worth $US1 billion ($1.6 billion).
It took full control of intellectual property last month when long-time producers Michael G Wilson and Barbara Broccoli agreed to step aside.
The next Bond instalment – reportedly given the working title of Bond 26 – will be led by newly signed producers Amy Pascal and David Heyman.
Pascal produced the Marvel Spider-Man franchise, while Heyman oversaw the Harry Potter franchise, including the spinoff series Fantastic Beasts.
According to Britain’s The Sun newspaper, quoting an unnamed Amazon-MGM source, the next instalment in the film series is expected to have a budget of $122 million. That puts it in line with the cost of Daniel Craig’s final outing as 007 in No Time to Die.
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The newspaper reported that the film is due to be released by the end of 2027
“The Bond bosses had already proposed broad plots and reboot ideas,” the source said.
“The writers’ rooms are being assembled in the hope of recouping their investment ASAP.”
Bond films are traditionally released in October or November.
“James Bond is one of the most iconic characters in the history of cinema,” Pascal and Heyman said in a joint statement on Wednesday.
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“We are humbled to follow in the footsteps of Barbara Broccoli and Michael Wilson who made so many extraordinary films and honoured and excited to keep the spirit of Bond very much alive as he embarks on his next adventure.”
James Bond ‘surprise’
The search for Craig’s replacement has also intensified in recent weeks, with actors such as Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Harris Dickinson and James Norton rumoured to be in contention to fill his shoes as 007.
British bookmaker Ladbrokes, which is taking bets on in the next Bond, claims British actor Theo James is tipped to replace Craig.
James comfortably leads the betting odds, ahead of Taylor-Johnson, while Henry Cavill and Norton are joint third favourite in a field of 11 actors.
James showed off his suave persona in Netflix series The Gentlemen. Photo: Netflix
“The race to replace Daniel Craig is closer than ever, and while a handful of A-listers have headed the betting for some time now, the latest odds suggest a huge surprise name could be on the cards.” Ladbrokes spokesman Alex Apati said.
James, 39, is best known for his suave on-screen presence as both a villain and a hero.
Since rising to fame as in The Divergent Series, he has since impressed in season two of The White Lotus and The Time Traveler’s Wife.
James most recently starred in the Netflix spinoff series of Guy Ritchie’s The Gentlemen and the 2025 Stephen King horror movie The Monkey.