"Now Pay Attention, 007!": Why I Think We Might See Another James Bond in Our Lifetime After All...

Article by James P. McCabe

Just to review: Sherlock Holmes, featuring Jeremy Brett as Holmes,  is the overall title given to the series of Sherlock Holmes adaptations produced by the British television company Granada Television between 24 April 1984 and 11 April 1994….

The intention of the series was to create a faithful and authentic adaptation of Arthur Conan Doyle's original stories, prioritizing accuracy and detail in character and plot,

The goal was not just to present Holmes as a brilliant detective, but to also show the darker, more complex elements of his personality, such as his depression and moodiness. This commitment to the character's depth, including his "missing heart" and obsessive tendencies, is a hallmark of the series.

Brett's dedication extended to every aspect of the performance. He meticulously studied the stories, often on his own time, and fought to ensure that iconic moments from the books, like the "speckled band" scene, were recreated accurately.

The series was intended to be the definitive on-screen version of Holmes, a standard that future adaptations would be measured against. Brett's performance is widely regarded as the most accurate and complete interpretation of Conan Doyle's character. 

Is it possible that this same dedicated approach might work for a rejuvenated James Bond?

Here are all the James Bond novels and short stories written by Ian Fleming, in order;

1. Casino Royale (1953)

2. Live and Let Die (1954)

3. Moonraker (1955)

4. Diamonds Are Forever (1956)

5. From Russia with Love (1957)

6. Dr. No (1958)

7. Goldfinger (1959)

For Your Eyes Only (1960) - collection of short stories

8. From a View to a Kill

9. For Your Eyes Only

10. Quantum of Solace

11. Risico

12. The Hildebrand Rarity

13. Thunderball (1961)

14. The Spy Who Loved Me (1962)

15. On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1963)

16. You Only Live Twice (1964)

17. The Man with the Golden Gun (1965)

Octopussy and The Living Daylights (1966) - collection of short stories

18.   Octopussy

19. The Living Daylights

20. The Property of a Lady

21. 007 in New York

What I want to suggest is that rather than regenerating another “new’ James Bond, and sending him forth into a future in which he may or may not be needed… a more successful approach might be found in revisiting the entire series again, every 007 story in order, as they were published, making a point of staying close to Fleming’s original writing, and with the same actor portraying Bond for the entire series. The supporting cast of characters would remain consistent as well… 

Disasters that have happened in the real world since ‘Bond 25’ have easily surpassed those imagined by the worst of 007’s fictional villains (who generally have blackmail in mind as a prime motivation)…

For example…

The COVID epidemic: Total Excess Deaths (2020 & 2021): The estimated total number of excess deaths associated with the pandemic (directly and indirectly) between January 1, 2020, and December 31, 2021, was approximately 14.9 million (with an uncertainty range of 13.3 million to 16.6 million).

As the song goes: “There ain’t no good guy, there ain’t no bad guy…”

The COVID-19 pandemic is among the deadliest infectious diseases to have emerged in recent history. As with all past pandemics, the specific mechanism of its emergence in humans remains unknown. Nevertheless, a large body of virologic, epidemiologic, veterinary, and ecologic data establishes that the new virus, SARS-CoV-2, evolved directly or indirectly from a β-coronavirus in the sarbecovirus (SARS-like virus) group that naturally infect bats and pangolins* in Asia and Southeast Asia.

Another example: The 2024 West Coast wildfires resulted in over 1 million acres burned in California alone, with one civilian fatality and six injuries, plus the destruction of thousands of structures.

While investigations into the specific causes of individual 2024 West Coast wildfires are ongoing, multiple factors have been established. Human activity, including arson, utility equipment malfunctions, and careless actions like leaving campfires unattended, are known to be significant causes of fires. At the same time, climate change is making conditions more conducive to fire by creating a cycle of heavy rainfall followed by prolonged dryness that leaves vegetation as abundant, tinder-dry fuel. 

These are natural disasters, not caused by some evil criminal mastermind, or fictional terrorist organization. They have left their mark on all of us for decades to come. This is the world of today that not only a “new” James Bond will be stepping into, but also, one assumes, the usual assortment of bad guys that come along with him. What are they going to be threatening us with that hasn’t already happened? Will the scriptwriters push Bond and company further into complete fantasy than they already have, until 007 is competing with, for example, the currently wildly popular KPOP Demon Hunters?

I haven’t mentioned the problem of 007’s personal relationships, especially in the film series. With the exception of the formidable Colonel Xenia Onatopp, from Goldeneye (1995) (Thanks Famke!) most of Bond’s on-screen relationships seem considerably dated at this point.  Suggestions that Christy star Sydney Sweeney should be ‘the girl’ in Bond 26 are not being greeted warmly… Syd herself has ‘jokingly’ suggested she'd "have more fun as James Bond" herself. Good luck with that, Syd… Charlize has already done considerable damage to that end in Atomic Blonde (2017)…

What I’d like to leave you with is that I think the best way to go with 007’s future is in fact a considerable trip into the past.

I suggest that the title of the proposed series be “Bond, by Fleming” to emphasize a renewed relationship with Ian Fleming’s original works. I think it should be a television series that would be produced by British television company Granada Television, in association with Eon Productions  (Granada remains an independent production company under ITV Studios).

The intention of the series would be to create faithful and authentic adaptations of Ian Fleming’s  original James Bond books and stories... all of them, in this way preserving the excellent writing that made the series popular in the first place. It would be essential that the same actor portray Bond for the entire series, beginning in his early 30’s and concluding in his mid to late 40’s.

We’ll be going back into the world of the 1950s and 60s, the time of the Cold War, the Space Race and a new sense of global awareness. The exotic locations, richly imagined characters, meticulously researched details, and spellbinding, at times brutal action sequences from the novels will all be there…

A word to the squeamish: Fleming was extremely unsparing in his descriptions of the mayhem inflicted on Bond in the books… seldom if ever seen in the films. This would necessarily be carried over into the TV series, so be warned!

I began this series of articles with the proposal that we might not see another James Bond in our lifetimes, and I talked myself out of it. It was fun figuring all this stuff out, anyway.

As of this writing, Denis Villeneuve is set to direct Bond 26, which was confirmed by Amazon MGM Studios. The director, known for films like Dune and Blade Runner 2049, will also serve as an executive producer. Dune 3 is scheduled for release in late 2026 or early 2027 so… sometime after that! Maybe 007 will live again after all… JPM.

*A pangolin is a scaly mammal known for its ability to roll into a protective ball when threatened. They are the only mammals that have scales, which are made of keratin, and their diet consists mainly of ants and termites. Pangolins vary in size depending on the species.