So that you’re new to this entire James Bond factor. You are questioning: The place do I begin? It is a good query. You have obtained greater than two dozen motion pictures to select from, with six completely different actors portraying 007 within the official franchise throughout distinctly completely different eras and approaches.
I am right here that can assist you with that. I grew up watching Bond motion pictures and studying the Ian Fleming books that first introduced the MI6 superspy to life, a formative experience that had a knock-on impact on my first massive profession selection.
We’re at an inflection level for Mr. Bond (or Commander Bond, in case you choose), developing on 5 years since the newest 007 film arrived in theaters. That was No Time to Die, which somewhat definitively put an finish to Daniel Craig’s tenure. And after a long time of ironclad artistic management by members of the Broccoli household, Bond’s fate has been placed within the fingers of Amazon MGM Studios.
The studio mentioned in Could that the search is underway for Craig’s successor as the next James Bond, a plum task that ought to unfold in quite a few motion pictures over the following decade or extra. We additionally know the director will probably be Denis Villeneuve, who’ll be contemporary off wrapping up his Dune trilogy.
You could hear the upcoming film known as Bond 26 — that is not the precise title, in fact, nor does it inform the entire story. It will be the twenty sixth installment within the Bond franchise from Eon Productions, which dates all the way in which again to 1962’s Dr. No, a modestly budgeted movie that proved successful and launched Sean Connery in a career-defining position. However there are additionally two different, unofficial Bond motion pictures — one among them starring Connery himself. (Plot twists aren’t restricted to the person movie scripts, you understand.) So with Villeneuve’s movie, that may be 28 in whole.
For these needing a Bond repair proper now, there’s the new 007: First Light video game, which simply got here out this week. (Click on the hyperlink to see my colleague David Lumb’s hands-on with the sport.) There’s additionally the brand new Prime Video collection Bait, by which Riz Ahmed stars as an actor auditioning to be Bond.
And now we have all of the outdated motion pictures to make amends for, whether or not as rewatches for us longtime followers or, for newcomers, a primary take a look at what has made James Bond one of many definitive cinematic roles of all time. You will discover all of them to hire or purchase on Prime Video, which, like Bond himself, is an Amazon property.
Daniel Craig means enterprise as MI6 undercover agent James Bond, aka 007.
Begin with Daniel Craig in On line casino Royale
Daniel Craig’s first outing as James Bond is a terrific spy/motion film, interval. It is heart-poundingly good, and I am riveted each time I watch it. However On line casino Royale (2006) additionally did what no earlier Bond film may do: It fully rebooted the franchise, blowing up a components that many noticed as performed out, with far-fetched gimmicks and belabored puns, even because it remained a gradual field workplace draw. It is primarily based on Ian Fleming‘s very first Bond novel and offers us Bond very a lot as he was launched to the world. It stays true to that unique story in lots of important methods (not an indicator of Bond motion pictures typically) whereas on the identical time updating it for contemporary audiences attuned to the Jason Bourne and Mission: Unattainable motion pictures.
Craig himself delivers all of the muscle and menace the character deserves, consistent with Fleming’s depictions and as measured in opposition to Connery, nonetheless the usual by which all different Bonds are invariably judged. There’s nothing glib about this Bond, and if he does look good in a tuxedo, you all the time know there is a brute inside able to battle the baddies. You study proper off the bat how he earned his double-0 (license to kill) score, then it is off to a spectacular chase and gunfight. That is simply within the first 18 minutes.
See additionally: James Bond Villains Build the Best Lairs, From Volcanoes to Space
Excessive factors, too, for a nasty villain in Mads Mikkelsen’s Le Chiffre, Judi Dench as Bond’s no-nonsense boss M and Eva Inexperienced as Bond’s feminine foil.
On line casino Royale additionally opens the door to the robust collection of films that observe: Quantum of Solace (2008), Skyfall (2012), Spectre (2015) and No Time to Die (2021). There’s extra than simply motion throughout the five-film run: There’s an arc that leads us deeper into Bond’s previous and the way it drives him within the current day.
Subsequent: From Russia With Love/Goldfinger
This entire franchise obtained going with Connery, so you possibly can’t go flawed beginning there. However for now let’s skip the very first film, Dr. No. It is positive leisure, however the two motion pictures that adopted are extra definitive — they’re usually the highest two in lists of the very best Bond motion pictures. Decide both of those and also you’re getting completely top-shelf Connery, the person who outlined Bond and who was the guts of the franchise when it exploded right into a phenomenon.
From Russia With Love (1963) offers you an honest-to-goodness, old school spy story, with no tech wizardry to talk of and no evil plan to destroy the world. It is Bond on an intimate scale, a character-driven story of our spy, the lady despatched to seduce him and the murderer (a buff and square-jawed Robert Shaw) assigned to take him down. (It additionally offers us our first glimpse of Blofeld, the recurring uber-villain.) Within the most interesting Bondian custom of exotic locales, this one cozies as much as Istanbul and takes a memorable experience on the Orient Specific. The battle scene within the prepare compartment is rightfully a basic. This film wins me over each time.
Sean Connery appears to be having fun with himself. Why not, when you possibly can drive the long-lasting 1964 Aston Martin DB5, his co-star in Goldfinger.
Then alongside got here Goldfinger (1964), the third film. This one ratcheted issues up and just about set the splashy tone for all the films up until Craig arrived — the outlandish plot (set off a nuke to irradiate the gold at Fort Knox), the over-the-top villain and henchman, the Aston Martin DB-5 sports activities automobile tricked out with machine weapons and ejector seat, the laser with which Goldfinger memorably threatens 007 (“No, Mr. Bond. I anticipate you to die”). Plus: One of many best theme songs of the collection.
Connery is dashing, virile, devilish, supremely assured — the whole lot you’d anticipate from a contemporary motion hero, partially as a result of he was the template.
See additionally: The Aircraft of James Bond: Little Nellie, a Vulcan Bomber and a Concorde
I would suggest getting a handful of Craig and/or Connery motion pictures beneath your belt earlier than venturing out extra extensively. Finest to look at the Craig installments in sequence, however the Connerys you possibly can watch in any order (identical with these from some other Bond actor). Stick to the 5 Connery movies from the Nineteen Sixties earlier than trying towards his two comeback efforts. The early motion pictures are very a lot of their time, in fact, so whilst you may chuckle on the quaintness of the tech, the fashions and the cinematography, it’s possible you’ll cringe at a few of the ethnic depictions and sexual mores.
The 4 different Bonds
Roger Moore and Pierce Brosnan are the 2 horses moreover Connery and Craig. Moore introduced a lighter contact to Bond over the course of seven movies all through the Nineteen Seventies and midway into the Nineteen Eighties. They’re largely romps, actually, by no means too darkish and infrequently veering into the downright foolish, with ever extra outlandish stunts and conditions — he even makes it into area, in 1979’s Moonraker, firstly of the area shuttle period. My choose for you because the Moore automobile to begin with is For Your Eyes Solely (1981), which is without doubt one of the extra grounded tales from his run.
Brosnan picked up the baton within the mid-Nineteen Nineties and starred in 4 movies. Extra muscular than the Moore motion pictures, they continued the custom of ultra-spectacular stunts and groaner puns. It was regular work and had enduring field workplace attraction, if not fairly at peak ranges. Your greatest wager: GoldenEye (1995), Brosnan’s first outing and one of many higher Bond motion pictures total.
Extra within the footnote class are Timothy Dalton and George Lazenby. Dalton made two motion pictures within the late Nineteen Eighties, and it was a little bit of a grim flip. Flip a coin, however hope that it turns up The Dwelling Daylights. For a extra intriguing entry — and one among my private favorites — attempt Lazenby’s one go at it, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969), the producers’ first stab at casting a different actor as 007. It is the one by which Bond will get married.
Discovering the following James Bond
The large query hanging over the franchise is its most existential: Who would be the next actor to portray James Bond? That void has been a gravitational drive powering a perpetual movement machine of churning hypothesis by oddsmakers, business insiders and followers for years. Early favorites included the likes of hunky big-screen presences Henry Cavill, Idris Elba and Tom Hardy, however the momentum has shifted to a youthful array of up-and-comers: Jacob Elordi, Tom Francis, Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Callum Turner, to call only some.
For some time, the speak was that the filmmakers may make a radical shift and solid a girl or an individual of shade within the position, upending the outdated colonial energy construction. No Time to Die dipped a toe in these waters, with Lashana Lynch taking up the 007 designation whereas Bond was on the outs with MI6.
However it appears possible now that Bond 26 will stand agency with custom, with the role going to a male actor from the British Isles. The movie’s casting director has mentioned that the next Bond has to “ooze sex appeal” but additionally indicated he’ll want critical performing chops as properly. For individuals who wish to dig deep into the supply materials, Bond creator Ian Fleming, who known as 007 a “blunt instrument,” described him as trying just like the crude-visaged Tin Pan Alley songwriter Hoagy Carmichael however later leaned towards the extra refined look of actor David Niven.
What we find out about Bond 26
Three key items are in place: director Denis Villeneuve, screenwriter Steven Knight and casting director Nina Gold.
Together with his Dune motion pictures, Villeneuve has proven that he can deal with initiatives which have a faithful, opinionated fan base, and he has the taut motion thriller Sicario to his credit score as properly. He is additionally a self-professed Bond aficionado. “A few of my earliest movie-going recollections are linked to 007. I grew up watching James Bond movies with my father, ever since ‘Dr. No’ with Sean Connery. I am a die-hard Bond fan. To me, he is sacred territory,” Villeneuve said when he was named as director in mid-2025. “I intend to honor the custom and open the trail for a lot of new missions to return.”
However what actually has me excited is the involvement of Knight, whose writing credits embrace the TV collection Peaky Blinders and Rogue Heroes and the films Soiled Fairly Issues and Japanese Guarantees. Rogue Heroes, a crisp, fierce, action-packed portrayal of Particular Air Service troopers and secret missions in World Battle II, is one among my favourite reveals of the previous couple of years. It is stuffed with good writing and packs a punch.
When will we see Bond 26? Industry reports counsel that filming will start in 2027, with a launch following in 2028.
James Bond motion pictures in chronological order
Within the official Bond canon — the movies made by Eon Productions, beginning with Harry Saltzman and Albert Broccoli (Barbara’s father), and persevering with with others within the Broccoli clan — there are 25 movies. Due to licensing points, there have been two different, non-canonical motion pictures, together with (confusingly) one starring Connery, for a grand whole of 27.
Sean Connery
David Niven, et al.
George Lazenby
Roger Moore
Timothy Dalton
Pierce Brosnan
Daniel Craig
Enjoyable reality: On line casino Royale has been filmed 3 occasions
There have been three variations of On line casino Royale, all radically completely different. We have already gone over the Daniel Craig model, a robust contender for greatest and most definitive Bond film ever.
Do not confuse it with the 1967 model of On line casino Royale that is each a spoof and a god-awful big-budget mess of a film. It is an odd mix of Bondian motifs, old-time Hollywood stars and then-trendy psychedelia. The plot, equivalent to it’s, entails making an attempt to idiot the unhealthy guys with quite a few completely different folks claiming to be James Bond, together with David Niven (the actual Bond), Peter Sellers, Woody Allen and former “Bond Woman” Ursula Andress.
Then there’s the true footnote, and completely not a Bond film, the 1954 adaptation of Casino Royale for an American TV anthology collection known as Climax! It is a roughly 52-minute episode by which American actor Barry Nelson performs the hero as “Card Sense Jimmy Bond,” an agent for the “Mixed Intelligence Company” whose supply tends towards watered-down Sam Spade. The spotlight: Peter Lorre performs the villain, a sad-eyed and shopworn Le Chiffre.
Laughing issues: The James Bond spoofs
Within the Austin Powers motion pictures, Mike Myers spoofs each Bond and his archnemesis, Blofeld.
As soon as you have seen a number of Bonds, particularly those from the Connery and Moore eras, you may have a wealthy lode of references for the various, many Bond spoofs over the a long time.
How highly effective a maintain has Bond had on the Hollywood creativeness? It introduced Mike Myers to the height of his fame with the Austin Powers motion pictures, which obtained began in 1997 however drew closely on the ’60s and ’70s Bonds. The primary Johnny English film, with a comically inept Rowan Atkinson, did not come until 2003. You will discover homages to Bond in the whole lot from the Kingsman franchise to the Despicable Me motion pictures (particularly the primary one) to 2019’s Spies in Disguise, an animated comedy with Will Smith as a tuxedo-wearing, gadget-equipped undercover agent (who will get was a pigeon).
For a deeper album minimize, look out for a pair of films from the Nineteen Sixties — Our Man Flint and In Like Flint — by which James Coburn offers a goofy-brilliant flip as a really Bond-like undercover agent. That period introduced a complete host of TV reveals that very entertainingly mined the identical soil — The Man From UNCLE, Get Good, I Spy, The Wild Wild West — after which served as fodder for film reboots in newer years.
Even Arnold Schwarzenegger obtained into the sport, within the James Cameron-directed True Lies (1994).
Literary issues: The James Bond books
James Bond obtained his begin in a collection of novels by Ian Fleming — 12 of them, plus a smattering of brief tales. The primary novel, On line casino Royale, got here out in 1953, lower than a decade after the top of World Battle II, throughout which Fleming gained first-hand data of spies and spying. It is value selecting up one or two of the books if just for the comparability with the films, which diverge anyplace between a bit of and “lose the whole lot however the title.”
Strive On line casino Royale for certain, or perhaps From Russia With Love (President Kennedy famously was a fan) or On Her Majesty’s Secret Service. Word: The books are all so much much less flashy than the movies, they usually’re of a very completely different period, the final ones having been written by in regards to the time Goldfinger (film No. 3) was hitting the display.
There have additionally been Bond books written by different authors. Kingsley Amis kicked issues off in 1968 with Colonel Sun, and was adopted by writers together with John Gardner and Sebastian Faulks.
Little did you believe you studied, however Fleming additionally wrote the kids’s novel Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang.
Ian Fleming’s Bond books, in chronological order:
- On line casino Royale (1953)
- Stay and Let Die (1954)
- Moonraker (1955)
- Diamonds Are Eternally (1956)
- From Russia, With Love (1957)
- Dr. No (1958)
- Goldfinger (1959)
- For Your Eyes Solely (1960) — assortment of brief tales together with the title story, Quantum of Solace and From a View to a Kill
- Thunderball (1961)
- The Spy Who Liked Me (1962)
- On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1963)
- You Solely Stay Twice (1964)
- The Man With the Golden Gun (1965)
- Octopussy and The Dwelling Daylights (1966) — these two brief tales and, in later editions, two others
Bonus film: The documentary
The Hulu unique documentary Becoming Bond is a unusual and completely fascinating biopic about George Lazenby, who got here out of nowhere to turn out to be the person who took over for Sean Connery. You get take a look at how On Her Majesty’s Secret Service matches into the franchise, however greater than that, a riveting image of Lazenby himself, by typically actually transferring reminiscences of a 70-something Lazenby and thru reenactments of his early years which have one thing of a Drunk Historical past vibe.
