After a series of costly delays, No Time to Die will finally start rolling out in theaters over the next few weeks. It's been confirmed on multiple occasions that Daniel Craig is moving on from the role of James Bond, but we've seen nothing more than speculation about who could be the next 007.
It won't be a woman (that's a sentiment several people working on the storied franchise have made clear), and many one-time fan-favourites are arguably too old to take over from Craig at this stage.
Talking on BBC Radio 4's Today programme (via Deadline), longtime Bond producer Barbara Broccoli joked that she's "in denial" about Craig's departure from the series. "We want Daniel to have his time of celebration," she continued. "Next year we’ll start thinking about the future."
So, we're unlikely to hear anything about the next 007 until 2022, though EON producer Michael G. Wilson did add that whoever takes over is going to have some "big shoes to fill."
In a separate interview with Variety, Craig was asked for his thoughts on who could follow him. However, he wasn't willing to commit to naming any possible replacements and was quick to issue what boils down to a "no comment" answer. "Don’t ask that! You know what, it’s not my problem."
There are a lot of different directions the James Bond franchise can go from here, and there's a real demand among fans to see a diverse lead follow Craig's lengthy stint as the iconic Ian Fleming creation. We'll see what happens, but it's clear for now that the focus is staying on No Time to Die's release.
Who would you like to see play the next big screen 007?