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This Sunday is 007 Day, for those who didn't know – the fifth of October is recognized as a international celebration dedicated to the world of 007, thanks to this being the date of the international launch of the inaugural 007 movie, with Sean Connery, back in 1962. Imagine it similar to the Star Wars celebration, minus the furry aliens and an abundance of tuxedoed swagger.

A Low-Key Event Now

Yet this time around, the coming of JBD is a bit anticlimactic. It's only been following Denis Villeneuve was confirmed to helm the next Bond film in June, and even less time since the screenwriter Steven Knight was enlisted to pen the screenplay. But there’s been almost no indication since then regarding the next Bond getting unveiled, and very little idea of where this long-running series is headed. The only information are unconfirmed reports via the Hollywood trades suggesting that the creative team will be looking for a relatively youthful Brit, who could be a person of colour although not a woman, an established star, or a person remotely familiar.

Disappointment for Oddsmakers

Undoubtedly, this represents a setback for the hordes gambling platforms who have been earning significant profits over recent months out of trying to convince bettors that the selection process is among several speculated candidates along with the attractive actor in Saltburn who is actually Australian.

Revisiting Unfamiliar Faces

Intriguingly, the previous instance the film series chose a total unknown occurred in 1969, when George Lazenby for a short time carried the iconic pistol. Earlier, the original Bond certainly wasn’t a star: he performed a few minor film roles and done a bit of stage and modelling work as well as working as a bodybuilder and milkman in Scotland before landing the main character in the debut movie. The creative heads deliberately avoided an established star; they desired someone fresh who the public would believe as Bond himself, as opposed to a performer portraying Bond.

Trying this approach once more might prove to be an ingenious move, similar to how it worked during the franchise's infancy.

Impact of Villeneuve

Yet hiring the director Denis Villeneuve suggests that there are no excuses at all if this new Bond ends up as a stiff. Increasing the exploding pens and double entendres is off the table under the guidance of is an artistic director known for genre films most famous for ponderous sci-fi epics where the loudest sound is the audience’s own existential dread.

A tough guy in formalwear … Craig's debut in Casino Royale.

A New Direction for 007

Nevertheless, in numerous aspects, selecting this director tells us everything we need to know concerning the fresh post-Daniel Craig direction. It's unlikely there will be vehicles that disappear or double entendres, and we probably won’t be getting Sheriff JW Pepper again shortly. This entire situation is, undoubtedly, absolutely fine for those who prefer your 007 updated for today. Yet it fails to indicate the director's interpretation of the elegant government hitman will be unique from the 007s that came before him notably if the new era opts not to take the whole story in the original time period.

Transforming All Chapters

Craig stood out at once as a fresh version of stylish operative when he arrived on the scene in 2006’s Casino Royale, a bruiser in a dinner jacket who would avoid at all costs in an invisible car, or exchanging suggestive lines with Denise Richards during bomb disposal. He made Brosnan's tech-dependent charmer who only a few years previously had been considered by some the top 007 after Connery, appear as an imitation Connery overheated and ruined. This is not unprecedented. After Connery came Lazenby, Brosnan followed the overlooked Dalton, and cheesy late-era Roger Moore followed brilliantly dead-eyed and callous early Roger Moore. Every era of 007 redefines the last one, however, every version remains in their own way the iconic spy, worthy of celebration. It feels odd, while we mark this year’s Bond Day, that we are asked to celebrate an agent who doesn’t even exist yet.