Why we won't see a young version of James Bond

James Bond producer Michael G. Wilson has explained why it is unlikely we will ever see a young version of 007 on the silver screen.

Over the course of the 60-year franchise, six actors have officially played Bond - Sean Connery, George Lazenby, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan and Daniel Craig.

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None of these men were younger than 30, and Wilson believes that Bond needs to be portrayed as a veteran due to the life experience the character has had to get him a 'Double 0' ranking.

"We’ve tried looking at younger people in the past. But trying to visualize it doesn’t work," he previously told Deadline.

"Remember, Bond’s already a veteran. He’s had some experience.

"He’s a person who has been through the wars, so to speak. He’s probably been in the SAS or something. He isn’t some kid out of high school that you can bring in and start off. That’s why it works for a thirty-something."

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No Time to Die (2021)

In 'No Time to Die' James Bond has left his turbulent life as a secret agent behind and is living a quiet life in Jamaica. His peace is short-lived, however, when his old friend Felix Leiter from the CIA shows up asking for help. It leads him on the trail of a mysterious villain armed with dangerous new technology.

Directed by: Cary Joji Fukunaga
Stars: Daniel Craig, Rami Malek and Léa Seydoux

New James Bond to reimagine the character

Barbara Broccoli, the other Bond producer, has confirmed that the next instalment in the franchise will see a "reimagining" of the character depending on the actor selected for the role.

Craig was initially a controversial choice for the role due to his blonde hair and blue eyes which was a deviation from the dark-haired actors from the past. He would eventually win the hearts of fans through his performances, though, and went on to star in five movies - Casino Royale, Quantum of Solace, Skyfall, Spectre and No Time to Die which proved to be his last.

Each actor who has played Bond has brought something different to the role, and any new star will need to do the same.

"When you change the actor you have to reimagine the direction the film's gonna go on," Broccoli said in a conversation with Empire.

"When you hire an actor, you're hoping you're going to spend a decade at least with them and make four or five or six films with them.

"So you have to think through, 'What is the trajectory? What is that actor going to bring? How are you going to move the series into another direction?'

"It's not just flicking through 'Spotlight' and saying, 'Oh, there's a guy who's 6'1'."