Carley Shimkus Flags Bond 26 Delay Until 2028
carley shimkus is pointing to a much longer wait for Bond 26. An unnamed insider told the Sun in April that the next James Bond film will not be back until 2028, while Denis Villeneuve is attached to direct after finishing Dune Part Three.
Four and half years after Daniel Craig took his final bow as James Bond, the successor role still has not been filled. Barbara Broccoli and Michael G Wilson cut a billion-dollar deal in February to cede creative control of the franchise to Amazon MGM Studios, and Steven Knight is set to write the screenplay.
Villeneuve’s Bond 26 timeline
Last summer, Villeneuve said he would start work on Bond 26 after completing Dune Part Three. That sequencing pushes the film behind his current commitment and leaves the franchise operating on a slower timetable than the usual cast-and-shoot rollout that surrounds a new 007 launch.
In April, the same insider said January 2027 work on pre-production would be a success. “Bond won’t be back until 2028,” the source said, adding, “Make sure we get this right.”
Amazon MGM’s 007 reset
Last September, Baz Bamigboye wrote that Villeneuve and Amazon were reportedly looking to cast a next James Bond who is male, British, and a fresh face. An insider also told Variety that Amazon was looking for a British actor in his 20s, narrowing the field around a reboot that has already kept rumor cycles alive for years.
The names that have circulated include Idris Elba, James Norton, Theo James, Harris Dickinson, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Callum Turner, and Henry Cavill. Elba has said the role is not one of his career goals and used the phrase “satisfy the will of a nation,” while Cavill said, “I’m probably a little old for the reboot,” at 42.
Steven Knight script pressure
Some outlets reported in 2024 that Aaron Taylor-Johnson had been formally offered the role, but the report still left the casting race unresolved. One unnamed source told Bamigboye, “Frankly, 99.9% of the names we've heard speculated online so far won't make the cut,” which is the clearest warning that the familiar shortlist may be more noise than signal.
For readers trying to track the franchise, the practical takeaway is simple: Bond 26 is moving, but slowly, and the real decision points now sit with the script, the director’s calendar, and a casting search that still has to produce the next 007.
