The man writing the next James Bond movie says one of the things he loves about 007 is that it isn’t DC or Marvel.
Steven Knight was on BBC Radio 4’s Today show Tuesday morning, per Deadline, and laid out how he sees the franchise he’s writing for Amazon MGM and director Denis Villeneuve.
“The thing with Bond is it’s its own universe, and it’s its own franchise. So there are certain rules. I mean, obviously you have to move it along, but I love where it sits. I love that it’s British. I love that it’s not DC or Marvel … So I feel a responsibility to the text,” said Knight.
That’s the Peaky Blinders creator saying Bond stays its own thing. No shared universe, no crossovers, no multiverse.
The “responsibility to the text” line points back to Ian Fleming’s novels. Reports on Knight’s script have pointed toward Fleming’s early books and Bond’s Royal Navy background.
Knight also joked he felt like he was “doing my duty for King and country” by taking on the franchise.
Knight Won’t Say Whether Bond Has Been Cast
The interview came with a second story.
Asked whether a casting decision has been made — this after Gary Oldman claimed over the weekend that Amazon has picked its Bond and crossed his fingers for Jack Lowden — Knight wouldn’t go near it.
“I cannot speak about this subject. Much as I would dearly love to,” said Knight.
Host Anna Foster kept at it, asking whether he knows who Bond is while he’s writing.
“It does make life a little bit easier if you know who that person is, but also you have to write the character, not the actor,” said Knight.
Foster tried once more: was he told before he started writing, or partway through?
“I refer you to my previous answer,” Knight laughed.
Note what’s missing. A simple “no decision has been made” was sitting right there, and Knight didn’t use it.
Where The Bond Search Stands
Oldman says the choice has been made but not announced.
Puck News’ Matt Belloni reported last week that test deals are going out to Bond contenders, with the audition list for Villeneuve expected within a couple of weeks and screen tests later this fall.
Deadline reported over the summer that auditions took place in August, with producers Amy Pascal and David Heyman, plus Villeneuve, personally informing shortlisted talent.
And Pascal has said a casting announcement by the end of the year is “a good bet.”
Knight says we’re going to find out. Pascal’s window runs through the end of the year.
