I could barely hide my excitement. I was going to see something, a movie, that was going to change my life forever..And my Mom had agreed to take me. I was pumped, man. My older brother had seen it, and told me all about this cool guy, by the name of Bond, James Bond.He was different from your average Hollywood hero, he said.This guy could be ruthless and he used anything and everything around him to kill bad guys.I was intrigued, fascinated. Who was this man? All I knew is, I wanted to see it.That movie was From Russia With Love ... and yes, it would change my life, forever.From then on, I became a fan of all things 007, and, of course, Sean Connery, the man who played the part, and looked the part so well.That, and also Ian Fleming, the author who penned these fantastic spy novels. It goes without saying I've read everything Ian Fleming ever wrote, at least twice, sometimes more.I used to carry a paperback copy of Casino Royale whenever I travelled, just as soft entertainment along the way. I also own several Ian Fleming first edition hardcovers, along with a host of 007 collectibles I have attained over the years — all cool stuff.Which brings me to the current situation, No Time To Die. The 25th film in the series which killed off not only Bond, but also Felix Leiter, his CIA pal, the villain Ernst Stavro Blofeld, and just about everyone else in the series.I was reminded of this today, chatting with my buddies Scott and Jeff, who are both big Bond fans.The subject was, where will it go from here, and, who will become James Bond?Scott said he had a theory that they kept Bond's DNA and Daniel Craig may emerge for one more film.Jeff feared the woke culture would take over and we would have a female Bond, which he surmised could wreck the concept and destroy the fan base.So, exactly where will it go from here? And who will become the next Bond?According to ScreenRant.com, there is little of Ian Fleming's books left to adapt for Bond 26.Over the course of Bond's 60-year cinematic history, the spy series used a combination of both Fleming's source material and original plots to keep James Bond relevant, the report said.With No Time To Die seemingly concluding Daniel Craig's tenure, Bond 26 will reboot the series once again and the 007 producers will have to decide where the story for the next adventure will come from, the report said.Bond 26 doesn’t have any writers attached yet, and producer Barbara Broccoli still needs to find the next actor to play the role of Bond, but it shouldn't be that hard now the Russians are once again the bad guys of the world.None of the post-Fleming 007 novels, written by Kingsley Amis, John Gardner and Anthony Horowitz, exactly cries out for film treatment, so it seems we are venturing into possible prequel territory.There are also nine young James Bond books (and one short story) by Charlie Higson, and later, Stephen Cole, ScreenRant.com said. These are set in the 1930s to fit in with the chronology of Bond's roots in the Second World War.So how about the potential actors, to bring Bond back to life?The fellow who seems to be leading the way is English actor Idris Elba, who topped a poll of over 1,000 Brits as the leading candidate, according to Hatch Communications. A duo of Toms (Hardy and Hiddleston) were also highly ranked, followed by names including James Norton, Henry Cavill and Richard Madden, entertainment site Tatler.com reported.None of the latter, in my books, could really fill the shoes of Daniel Craig, who was the best Bond since Connery. I didn't care for any of the other Bonds, to be honest.Although, I wonder what Idris Elba could do in this role — it's possible he could make it his own.The last thing we want, though, is another pretty boy like Roger Moore to play Bond. That, to me, would be worse than death. Please, let's not go back to those days.And, also, please, don't turn it into a CGI super-hero movie, such as The King's Man.But what about the woke option — a woman as Bond?In a 2021 interview with Radio Times, Craig was asked if Bond should be played by a woman and answered honestly:"There should simply be better parts for women and actors of color. Why should a woman play James Bond when there should be a part just as good as James Bond for a woman?" he said.The response quickly became the main takeaway, and was presented as though it was a controversial statement, Forbes magazine reported. There was nothing really outrageous about Craig's statement, IMO.A female Bond could certainly make an interesting spin on an old formula, but let’s not pretend it would be revolutionary; female-led action films such as Red Sparrow, La Femme Nikita and Atomic Blonde already fill that niche.But as 007? No, I don't think so. A spinoff, yes, fine. But to replace Bond with a woman, no way. It would, as many fear, dilute the series and possibly end it. It'd be like tuning in for the new "Frank of Green Gables." .In an interview with Variety, producer Broccoli threw cold water on a female Bond.“He can be of any colour, but he is male. I believe we should be creating new characters for women — strong female characters. I’m not particularly interested in taking a male character and having a woman play it. I think women are far more interesting than that.”Somehow, that reassures me that Bond will stay Bond.Not a woke Bond or a metro-sexual "Lewis Hamilton" Bond, nor an "Ironman" Bond with super powers avec CGI, or an LGBTQ Bond. I want the Bond who plugs professor Dent with a silencer in Dr. No, after telling him, "That's a Smith and Wesson, and you've had your six."The Bond we know and love.
