Producer Barbara Broccoli States That There Will Be No Casting Discussions For The New Bond Until 2022

With the world getting ready for the release of No Time To Die, having its world premiere in London on Tuesday, U.K. bookmakers have gone back to one of their favourite pastimes: assuming as to who might take over from Daniel Craig as the next James Bond, a discussion that has been rumbling on for many years.

But despite the new rumour mill mix now comprising regulars such as Tom Hardy and newcomers like Bridgerton‘s Rege-Jean Page, Bond producer Barbara Broccoli has effectively terminated any hope of the topic being concluded soon.

Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s flagship morning news show Today on Monday along with Eon Production head Michael G. Wilson, Broccoli said they hadn’t brought any judgment as to who would step into Craig’s blood-splattered brogues and wouldn’t begin doing so until 2022.

“We’re not thinking about it at all,” she said. “We want Daniel to have his time of celebration. Next year we’ll start thinking about the future.”

Added Wilson: “He’s been such a great Bond. Those are big shoes to fill. I can’t even possible.”

On employing Craig, who took over from Piers Brosnan starting with Casino Royale in 2006, Broccoli said they were “very, very lucky” to convince him to join the franchise.

“We could see he was reluctant to do it because he knew it would change his life, which it obviously has. It’s changed his life, but it hasn’t changed him,” she said. “What he’s enabled us to do with the franchise is really explore the emotional life of Bond and go into the person and complexity and conflicts that happen within the Bond character.”

British bookmaker William Hill presently has Hardy as his number one to take over from Craig, followed by Page,   McMafia fame James Norton, Nine Perfect Strangers‘ Luke Evans, annually Bond favourite Idris Elba, The Witcher featured Henry Cavill and, marking the highest-ranking female entry, Gentleman Jack‘s Suranne Jones.