How to Mark Bond Day When the Upcoming 007 Stays a Secret?

This Sunday is Bond Day, for those who didn't know – October 5th is recognized as a international observance dedicated to everything about 007, due to it marking the anniversary of the international launch of the inaugural 007 movie, with Sean Connery, back in 1962. Imagine it comparable to May the 4th, but with less furry aliens and much more tuxedoed swagger.

A Muted Observance This Year

But on this occasion, the coming of the 007 celebration is a bit anticlimactic. Not long has passed following the acclaimed director was revealed to helm the next Bond film back in June, and not long afterwards when Peaky Blinders’ Steven Knight was hired to pen the screenplay. However, we've seen scant evidence afterwards of the new 007 actually being revealed, with minimal clarity about the direction this iconic film series is going next. What remains are unconfirmed reports through film industry sources suggesting that the producers intend to cast a relatively youthful British actor, who could be a person of colour although not a woman, a franchise star, or somebody slightly known.

Letdown for Bookmakers

Undoubtedly, this represents a setback for the many online bookmakers which have earning significant profits for months now out of trying to convince bettors that the selection process is among a shortlist of actors and that hunky guy in Saltburn with Australian origins.

Going Back to Unfamiliar Faces

Intriguingly, the most recent occasion the film series opted for a total unknown occurred in 1969, when George Lazenby for a short time carried the iconic pistol. Earlier, Connery himself was not famous: he had had a few minor film roles plus occasional acting and modeling gigs as well as working in physique competitions and dairy delivery in Scotland prior to accepting the starring part in the first film. The creative heads intentionally rejected a well-known actor; they sought a new face that viewers would believe as Bond himself, as opposed to a star in the role.

Repeating this trick could turn out to be a brilliant tactic, similar to how it worked during the franchise's infancy.

Impact of Villeneuve

However, bringing in the director Denis Villeneuve indicates that there's no room for error at all in case the future agent turns out to be a stiff. Dialling up the over-the-top gadgets and innuendo is off the table under the guidance of is an artistic director known for genre films renowned for ponderous sci-fi epics where the loudest sound is the audience’s own existential dread.

A bruiser in a dinner jacket … Craig's debut in Casino Royale.

A New Direction for 007

Nevertheless, in many ways, selecting this director tells us everything we should understand concerning the fresh post-Craig phase. We won't see any invisible cars or double entendres, and we probably won’t be getting the southern lawman in the near future. These changes are, naturally, absolutely fine if you like your James Bond with a modern twist. However, it leaves unclear how Villeneuve’s take of the elegant government hitman will stand out compared to previous Bonds who immediately preceded him particularly should the next chapter doesn’t choose to place the plot in the original time period.

Transforming All Chapters

Craig was immediately recognisable as a different type of dapper super-spy when he arrived in the franchise in the 2006 film, an aggressive figure in black tie who would never be seen in a stealth vehicle, or using sexual wordplay with co-stars during bomb disposal. He rendered the previous Bond's polished style who only a few years previously was regarded by certain critics as the best Bond since Connery, look like a karaoke Connery badly reheated. Not that this is anything new. After Connery came Lazenby, Then Brosnan took over from the overlooked Dalton, and the campy later Moore succeeded the gritty initial Moore. Every era of 007 alters the prior, however, every version remains distinctively James Bond 007, deserving of a toast. It feels odd, during this year's this year’s Bond Day, that the occasion calls to celebrate an agent who remains unidentified.