What’s the Current Status of Bond 26?

The first half of 2024 was undeniably quiet when it came to news updates for Bond 26. All the way back in February, producer Barbara Broccoli attended an awards ceremony where she stated that “nothing [was] happening yet.” She also declined to comment whether she’d spoken with director Denis Villeneuve (Dune) about Bond 26. Later in March there were rumours circulating that EON had offered English actor Aaron Taylor-Johnson the James Bond role, but this turned out to be false.

Since then all has been quiet on the news front. The producers haven’t talked to the press or released any statements through the official channels. Even the tabloids have ramped down on their regular stream of Bond 26 content which says a lot. It’s easy to think that progress on the new film has completely stalled, but there are a few new pieces of information that shed some light on its development at this early stage.

Starting with what’s known with almost absolute certainty:

• Bond 26 will be produced by Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson.

• Universal Pictures will distribute the film internationally with MGM responsible for the North American release.

• At the earliest Bond 26 will release in 2026. This is based on the turnaround of the previous instalment where principal photography lasted 6 months and the film was intended to release nearly 6 months after the end of the shoot.

• Daniel Craig will not return as James Bond. Casting for the coveted role, as well as all other roles, has yet to begin. In 2022, Barbara Broccoli stated that she envisions the next Bond actor to be in their 30s and commit for at least a decade.

• The producers haven’t tapped any directors to helm the film so it can still be anyone.

Many of these details are common knowledge at this point, so what are the more recent insights? One thing that’s apparent is that Barbara Broccoli’s schedule is only getting busier. MI6 HQ revealed in their ‘James Bond & Friends’ podcast she’s producing Daniel Craig’s rendition of Othello as a feature film with him returning as well. This comes on top of her role as executive producer for the 007: Road to a Million series on Amazon Prime Video. MI6 HQ also reported that she’s attached to two further projects with Amazon Studios in collaboration with Ashok Amritraj – the brother of Octopussy actor and tennis star Vijay Amritraj.

Speaking of Amazon, earlier this week the company purchased Bray Film Studios which is set to become their “creative home” in the UK. Bray is considered to be a large site, however there would be limitations to filming Bond 26 there as its total soundstage space across all 5 stages is a mere 53,600 square feet compared to the 007 Stage’s area of 59,000 square feet. Nevertheless, Amazon will no doubt want to shoot at least a portion of Bond 26 there instead of relying Pinewood Studios, which is currently in the grasp of Disney until the end of the decade.

Looking at developments on a more technical level, EON have yet to register Bond 26 as a private limited company through the gov.uk website. This is always done long before a Bond film goes into production which suggests that we’re further away than expected. Although as a sign of hope perhaps, eagle-eyed fans spotted that the film is now slated for release in 2026 on the film’s IMDbPro page. While 2026 isn’t unrealistic it’s also the earliest we could possibly get the new film due to production turnarounds as mentioned above. Therefore take this with a large pinch of salt.

That’s where we are as of July 2024: EON has yet to file the initial paperwork to register the film and Barbara Broccoli is working away on multiple film and TV projects. Amazon is developing several of these projects with shooting most likely taking place at Bray Film Studios which they recently acquired.

One thing to take note of is that later this year both producers will be receiving honorary Academy Awards for their career achievements. The ceremony will take place during the Governors Awards on November 17th at Ovation Hollywood. This could provide them with the perfect opportunity to formally announce Bond 26 and at the very least give us a release date. Time will tell.

Source: THR, MI6 HQ, 007.com

Correction 26 July 2024: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated that United Artists Releasing would be distributing Bond 26 in North America. MGM, which UAR was folded into, will be distributing the film.