🔗 Share this article How to Celebrate Bond Day When the Next 007 Is a Mystery? It's Bond Day, for those who didn't know – October 5th now stands as a international observance focused on the world of 007, thanks to the fact it commemorates the anniversary of the world premiere of the inaugural 007 movie, starring Sean Connery, in the year 1962. Consider it as a bit like the Star Wars celebration, with fewer Wookiees and Ewoks and much more tuxedoed swagger. A Muted Celebration This Year Yet this time around, the arrival of the 007 celebration feels rather anticlimactic. Not long has passed after the filmmaker was confirmed to helm the next Bond film in June, and not long afterwards since writer Steven Knight was enlisted to draft the story. But there’s been little to no sign since then about the future agent getting unveiled, with minimal clarity about the direction this iconic film series will proceed. What remains are unconfirmed reports from entertainment outlets implying that the creative team will be looking for a relatively youthful British actor, who could be a person of colour although not a female actor, an established star, or a person we’ve vaguely heard of. Bad News for Bookmakers This is, of course unwelcome developments for the numerous online bookmakers that have generating substantial revenue over recent months by attempting to persuade gamblers that it is a race among a shortlist of actors along with the attractive actor in Saltburn with Australian origins. Revisiting Unfamiliar Faces Intriguingly, the previous instance the 007 series opted for a total unknown was in 1969, when George Lazenby temporarily assumed the famous firearm. Prior to that, Sean Connery certainly wasn’t a star: he performed some small movie parts along with some acting and modeling gigs as well as working in fitness and milk delivery in his hometown before taking the starring part in the first film. The creative heads intentionally rejected a well-known actor; they sought someone fresh that viewers would accept as the actual character, as opposed to a star in the role. Trying this approach once more may end up as an ingenious move, exactly as it was in the early 1960s. Director's Influence However, bringing in the director Denis Villeneuve indicates that there's no room for error in any way should the next 007 proves to be a stiff. Amplifying the exploding pens and innuendo is not feasible when your new director is an artistic director of genre film-making renowned for thoughtful science fiction where the loudest sound is the audience’s own existential dread. An aggressive type in black tie … Daniel Craig in 2006’s Casino Royale. Updated Vision for the Franchise And yet, in numerous aspects, bringing in Villeneuve provides clear signals we need to know regarding the upcoming era after Daniel Craig. There are not going to be stealth automobiles or sexual innuendos, and it's doubtful we'll see the comic sheriff again shortly. All of this is, naturally, quite alright for those who prefer your 007 with a modern twist. Yet it fails to indicate how Villeneuve’s take regarding the stylish official killer will distinguish itself from the 007s who immediately preceded him especially if the new era opts not to take the whole story in the original time period. Transforming Every Period Craig stood out at once as a different type of elegant secret agent upon his debut in the role in the 2006 film, a tough character in formal attire who would never be caught dead with ridiculous gadgets, or exchanging suggestive lines alongside Denise Richards while defusing a nuclear warhead. He rendered Pierce Brosnan’s gadget-addled smoothie which recently was viewed by many as the best Bond since Connery, appear as an imitation Connery badly reheated. This is not unprecedented. Lazenby succeeded Connery temporarily, Brosnan followed the underrated Timothy Dalton, and the campy later Moore followed brilliantly dead-eyed and callous early Roger Moore. Every era of 007 alters the prior, however, every version remains in its unique manner the famous agent, and worth raising a glass to. It feels odd, while we mark the annual Bond celebration, that the occasion calls to toast one that is not yet chosen.