Bond 26's 5 Year Delay Just Got So Much Worse

The Netflix success of Daniel Craig’s James Bond movies proves that the franchise must return as soon as possible, which makes the long wait for Bond 26 all the more unfortunate. The gap between 2021’s No Time To Die and the upcoming Bond 26 is already the longest gap between two installments in the iconic British spy series.

007 has never been off-screen for such a long stretch before, and No Time To Die’s shocking twist ending set the bar for his return almost impossibly high. After years of the franchise replacing Bond’s actor between films, but never acknowledging this, No Time To Die changed the game completely when its ending killed off Craig’s version of Bond.

This effectively ensures that Bond 26 will need to address the question of whether James Bond is a codename passed down from one agent to another when working for MI6. This, in turn, opens up the franchise to exploring a whole host of other fan theories, addressing whether these James Bonds can retire or if they are always killed in action.

Daniel Craig’s James Bond Movies Are Massive Netflix Hits

It was always going to be hard for Bond 26 to answer these questions, but the franchise has not made things any easier for itself in the years since No Time To Die’s October 2021 premiere. Not only has there been no significant production progress on Bond 26, but the character himself still hasn’t even been recast.

As of January 2026, it is still unclear who will play the legendary super spy in Bond 26. Various A-list actors who were once front-runners, such as Idris Elba, Tom Hardy, and Henry Cavill, have arguably already outgrown the role, and the search for a new up-and-coming actor to take on the part has lasted years.

Now, Craig’s two most recent James Bond movies, No Time To Die and 2015’s Spectre, have become huge hits on Netflix. The popularity of these movies on the streaming service shows that viewers want to see more from Bond, but the franchise seems unable to facilitate this.

In early 2025, Amazon announced that long-term franchise producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G Wilson would be stepping away from the series as its new owner took the James Bond movies in a new direction. Since then, there has been little news outside of the revelation in June 2025 that Dennis Villeneuve would helm the upcoming franchise installment.

Netflix’s James Bond Success Proves Viewers Want More From the Franchise

Villeneuve is among the most exciting blockbuster directors working today, and the news that he is directing Bond 26 should be exciting for fans of the series. However, the sheer length of time between installments has inevitably sapped a lot of enthusiasm from even the most devoted followers of the franchise.

The James Bond series has been dormant since 2021, meaning Bond 26 must be something truly special for the movie to feel like it is worth this unprecedented wait. Moreover, the fact that there has been no movement toward a production date seems even more worrying. Admittedly, blockbuster productions can come together quickly, but this is hardly the norm.

Jurassic World Rebirth was first announced in January 2024, and the movie arrived in cinemas in June 2025, but this was an atypically fast turnaround and one that the James Bond franchise would have a hard time replicating. After all, No Time To Die’s many release date delays meant the 25th Bond movie didn’t arrive until two years after production wrapped.

Bond 26’s Biggest Problem Isn’t Recasting 007

Unfortunately for Amazon and Villeneuve, the biggest issue with the James Bond franchise can’t be solved with a particularly inspired recasting of 007 himself. It is the tone of the series that will define the success or failure of Bond 26, and the filmmakers are trapped in an unenviable catch-22 when it comes to this issue.

The central question is whether Bond 26 should represent a return to the fun, campy tone of Roger Moore and Pierce Brosnan’s spy movies, or if the installment should be a dark, gritty, grounded spy thriller. Sadly, there are major issues with both approaches.

2024’s Argylle and 2015’s The Man from U.N.C.L.E were both high-profile spy movies that aimed to take a lighter, goofier look at the

genre, and both lost millions at the box office and failed catastrophically upon release. In contrast, gritty, grounded spy thrillers tend to fare better in financial terms.

Indeed, the decision to hire Villeneuve for Bond 26 alone is evidence of the project’s self-serious tone, as the director’s austere output is hardly known for its playful humor. However, adopting a gritty, grounded tone means that Bond 26 now runs the risk of feeling and looking exactly the same as Craig’s James Bond movies, making the franchise feel redundant.