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Arriving this weekend is 007 Day, for those who didn't know – October 5th is recognized as a international observance dedicated to all things 007, because of it marking the date of the world premiere of Dr No, featuring Sean Connery, in the year 1962. Think of it similar to Star Wars Day, minus the Wookiees and Ewoks and much more tuxedoed swagger.

A Low-Key Observance This Year

But on this occasion, the arrival of the 007 celebration feels rather anticlimactic. It's only been after the acclaimed director was confirmed to helm the future installment back in June, and shortly after when Peaky Blinders’ Steven Knight was enlisted to write the script. But there’s been almost no indication afterwards about the future agent getting unveiled, and very little idea of where this long-running series is headed. The only information are whisperings on the wind through film industry sources implying that the film-makers are seeking a comparatively fresh-faced UK performer, who could be non-white but is not going to be a female actor, a franchise star, or somebody we’ve vaguely heard of.

Letdown for Oddsmakers

Naturally, this is disappointing news for the hordes online bookmakers who have been making a pretty penny for some time by attempting to persuade gamblers that the competition is involving a shortlist of actors along with the attractive actor from Saltburn with Australian origins.

Going Back to the Unknown

Notably, the most recent occasion the film series opted for a complete unknown was in 1969, with George Lazenby temporarily assumed the famous firearm. Before that, the original Bond certainly wasn’t a star: he performed a few minor film roles plus occasional acting and modeling gigs as well as working as a bodybuilder and milkman in his hometown before landing the main character in Dr No. The creative heads deliberately avoided a household name; they desired someone fresh that viewers would accept as Bond himself, as opposed to an actor playing Bond.

Trying this approach once more might prove to be a brilliant tactic, similar to how it worked back in the sixties.

Director's Influence

But getting Villeneuve involved means that there's no room for error at all should the next 007 turns out to be a stiff. Amplifying the ridiculous devices and double entendres is off the table when your new director is a solemn auteur specializing in cinematic genres best known for ponderous sci-fi epics in which the most intense element is the audience’s own existential dread.

An aggressive type in black tie … Daniel Craig as Bond in Casino Royale.

A New Direction for James Bond

However, in numerous aspects, bringing in Villeneuve provides clear signals we should understand concerning the fresh post-Daniel Craig direction. We won't see any invisible cars or suggestive jokes, and the return of the comic sheriff in the near future. All of this is, of course, absolutely fine for those who prefer the secret agent with a modern twist. However, it leaves unclear the director's interpretation of the elegant government hitman will distinguish itself against earlier agents who immediately preceded him notably if the next chapter doesn’t choose to set the narrative back to Ian Fleming’s original 50s and 60s setting.

Redefining All Chapters

Craig was instantly distinctive as a fresh version of dapper super-spy when he arrived in the role in Casino Royale from 2006, an aggressive figure in black tie who would never be seen in a stealth vehicle, or trading sex puns with co-stars while handling explosives. He caused Brosnan's tech-dependent charmer that just a short time before had been considered by some the top 007 after Connery, look like a copycat version left too long in the microwave. Not that this is anything new. Lazenby (briefly) followed Connery, Brosnan followed the underrated Timothy Dalton, and the silly final Moore films succeeded the gritty initial Moore. All franchise chapters reshapes the previous, but each one is in its unique manner the iconic spy, and worth raising a glass to. It's somewhat strange, while we mark the annual Bond celebration, that we are being invited to toast one that is not yet chosen.