James Bond producers have said the search for the new OO7 is still in its "early days", adding that whoever lands the role must be in it for the long haul.
Speaking to Variety, Barbara Broccoli said, "The thing is, it's going to be a couple of years off. And when we cast Bond, it’s a 10, 12-year commitment. So, he’s probably thinking, 'Do I really want that thing? Not everybody wants to do that. It was hard enough getting [Daniel Craig to do it]."
The production duo of Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson cast Craig in five Bond movies, Casino Royale (2006), Quantum of Solace (2008), Skyfall (2012), Spectre (2015) and last year’s No Time to Die, and there has been much speculation as to who will replace the actor in the iconic role.
Broccoli told Variety that while most young actors who relish the idea of playing Bond, they do not fully understand the commitment involved.
"A lot of people think, ‘Oh yeah, it’d be fun to do one," she said. "Well. That ain’t gonna work."
Wilson added, "It’s a big investment for us, too, to bring out a new Bond."
"That’s why, when people go, ‘Oh, who are you going to get?’ it’s not just about casting an actor for a film. It’s about a reinvention, and ‘Where are we taking it? What do we want to do with the character?’" Broccoli said. "And then, once we figure that out, who’s the right person for that particular reinvention?"
Broccoli and Wilson also addressed the possibility of Idris Elba becoming the next Bond.
They said hadn’t spoken to the much-touted candidate to play the world’s most famous spy recently but said "He’s great" and "We love Idris."
Asked about how the formerly chauvinistic and womanising Bond character has evolved in the past decade and a half, Broccoli said 007 would continue to grow in future movies.
"It’s an evolution. Bond is evolving just as men are evolving. I don’t know who’s evolving at a faster pace."
She also said that Craig had "cracked Bond open emotionally." "The films over his tenure were the first time we really connected the emotional arc."
