I stopped watching Bond Movies decades ago. I loved The Connery and Moore era and got bored of the character in the Dalton era and maybe did half of one of the Bosnan movie. The character has runs its course for me.

We should keep going. There’s already a history of changing actors and timeframes, changing levels of violence and action. James Bond isn’t a series where anyone expects one to follow another. The Daniel Craig bonds were very different from all previous - time to find a new Bond and a new feel.

It’s an IP. It doesn’t matter what would be most artful. The Hollywood system would turn it into an openly racist musical with the entire soundtrack being variations on ‘Happy Birthday to You’ if it meant they’d make an extra $5.

As for what would be best? I’d rather they had kept the movies in the cheesy/campy space they used to have and then created a separate space to be ‘gritty/real’ in. The modern ‘Bond’ films don’t match the old ones.

I’ve been saying it for years, but my ideal scenario for a reinvented Bond story would be to make a TV miniseries that’s loyal to the original books. A period piece, set in the 1950s that explored Ian Fleming’s original gritty, alcoholic, borderline suicidal Bond who has nothing but the next job in his life. Not the suave, charming, sophisticated womanizer and luxury sports car driver from the 1960s movies and on.

I actually loved the Daniel Craig Bond films because it was the closest we’ve ever seen to the original version of Bond from the novels. Although I absolutely hate the end of his arc. (No spoilers)

I also think they promoted him from rookie 00 agent to tired, grizzled old veteran way too quickly. The first film (Casino Royale) was a masterpiece; one of the best Bond films we’ve ever had, and a great modern retelling of the first ever Bond novel. But Barbara Broccoli panicked when his second film flopped hard, and spent the rest of the Daniel Craig arc trying to win back audiences instead of telling good, engaging stories.

I think reinventing Bond as a TV miniseries would be better, because we could do multiple episodes to tell a grand story arc from the books, or a single episode for the short stories that Ian Fleming compiled. We would have room to tell a good tale without being confined to the limits of film. And it would be fascinating to see Bond in his original era, having to function off raw skill and intellect rather than gadgets.

They should redo all bond movies - but with AI! They have the scripts. They have the proven track record. It’s solid gold! /s

Unfortunately, now that Amazon is in charge of James Bond, there’s a decent chance we’ll get more and worse films. Purely to cash in.

I don’t think Bond should end, but it definitely needs a break. It’s gone through so many changes over time trying to reinvent itself from simple action film to gritty realism to love drama. Craig as Bond was kind of a real full arc and a weird time. Now that it’s ended they need to step away, let it percolate, and come back in five or ten years with something fresh.

Patrick Willems had an interesting take on how every Bond film reflected Hollywood at the time. With Hollywood now being nothing but reboots I say it’s a double good time for them to take a break.

I will watch good movies, and skip terrible movies. Whether they are in a franchise or not has no bearing on it, for me.

So go ahead and make more. I may see it. I may not. But I’m not going to begrudge anyone who wants to see more of that character no matter what.

They shouldn’t let it end on purpose. The lifespan of Lizzy2 shouldn’t set the boundaries. If Amazon were smart here, they’d continue the path of limited releases on the silver screen as event cinema. I say “were” because I’m non convicted they won’t completely eff it up.

Every new iteration of the franchise has been criticized, the casting choices, the stories, the gadgets, etc. And yet it prevails in the culture through the generations. Even my least favorite Bond movie is still an enjoyable re-watch (Die Another Day, if you’re wondering). I don’t want it to end.

There is still potential in that franchise. They could do a height of the cold war period piece. Or one about WW2 origin of modern espionage. Also, Hollywood has run out of ideas. There is no way they won’t go back to the double-0 well. They are looking at Schwarzenegger to return as Conan and in a Predator sequel …

I’ve seen a few of them, don’t know what the last one was. The studios will keep milking the character as long as there’s money in it, so it doesn’t matter what we think. It can play out in any number of ways–use your own imagination. But there could be clones or reincarnations of Bond, or maybe some period pieces like Bond in WW2 (he was in the Navy before he was in the Secret Service), or whatever. They’re already doing several new LOTR and Harry Potter movies and there’s a Star Wars TV series, so Bond is more of the same. There’s already precedent for Sgt. Nick Fury being more or less immortal, so they can do that too.

I read most of the Fleming novels and of the movies I saw, I liked the ones that stayed reasonably close to the books, plus the wacky 1967 Casino Royale with Peter Sellers. But I’m not a movie buff and haven’t seen the more recent ones.

IMHO, the James Bond series is a product of the Cold War. When that ended in the late 80s, they tried to reframe or modernize it. I do not have a strong opinion on that, apart from the fact that the latest Bond movie was a very expensive commercial for shitty Dutch beer and equally shitty German cars. Bond is dead.