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This Sunday is James Bond Day, in case you missed it – the fifth of October now stands as a international celebration focused on the world of 007, due to it marking the day of the global debut of the inaugural 007 movie, with Sean Connery, in the year 1962. Imagine it as a bit like Star Wars Day, with fewer creature costumes and a whole lot more sophisticated style.

A Subdued Event This Year

Yet this time around, the arrival of the 007 celebration seems somewhat like a damp squib. It's only been since Denis Villeneuve was revealed to direct the upcoming 007 movie back in June, and shortly after when writer Steven Knight was hired to draft the story. Yet there has been little to no sign afterwards of the new 007 actually being revealed, with minimal clarity about the direction this venerable franchise is headed. All we have are unconfirmed reports from entertainment outlets suggesting that the creative team are seeking a fairly young UK performer, possibly non-white but is not going to be a woman, a franchise star, or a person remotely familiar.

Bad News for Oddsmakers

Undoubtedly, this represents disappointing news for the many gambling platforms who have been earning significant profits for months now out of trying to convince punters that the competition is between several speculated candidates and that hunky guy from Saltburn with Australian origins.

Revisiting Unfamiliar Faces

Interestingly, the previous instance the film series opted for a complete unknown was in 1969, as George Lazenby temporarily assumed the famous firearm. Prior to that, the original Bond was not famous: he had taken several supporting roles and done a bit of acting and modeling gigs in addition to working in physique competitions and dairy delivery in his hometown prior to accepting the main character in Dr No. The creative heads deliberately avoided a well-known actor; they sought an unfamiliar performer who the public would accept as the actual character, instead of a performer portraying Bond.

Repeating this trick could turn out to be a clever decision, similar to how it worked during the franchise's infancy.

Impact of Villeneuve

Yet hiring Villeneuve involved means that there's no room for error at all should the next 007 ends up as unconvincing. Dialling up the ridiculous devices and double entendres is not feasible under the guidance of is an artistic director known for genre films best known for dense futuristic stories where the loudest sound is deep philosophical tension.

A bruiser in a dinner jacket … Craig's debut in Casino Royale.

Updated Vision for James Bond

However, in many ways, selecting this director provides clear signals that are essential regarding the upcoming post-Craig phase. It's unlikely there will be any invisible cars or suggestive jokes, and the return of Sheriff JW Pepper back any time soon. These changes are, naturally, quite alright for those who prefer your 007 contemporary in style. But it doesn’t tell us the director's interpretation on Britain’s suavest state-sponsored assassin will distinguish itself from the 007s from the recent past notably if the next chapter decides against to take the whole story back to Ian Fleming’s original 50s and 60s setting.

Reinventing Every Period

Craig was instantly distinctive as a new kind of dapper super-spy upon his debut in the franchise in Casino Royale from 2006, a bruiser in a dinner jacket who would never be seen in a stealth vehicle, or using sexual wordplay with Denise Richards while defusing a nuclear warhead. He caused Pierce Brosnan’s gadget-addled smoothie who only a few years previously was viewed by many the top 007 after Connery, look like a copycat version badly reheated. Not that this is anything new. After Connery came Lazenby, Brosnan followed the underappreciated Dalton, and the silly final Moore films followed brilliantly dead-eyed and callous early Roger Moore. Each Bond period alters the prior, however, every version remains distinctively the famous agent, worthy of celebration. It feels odd, as we apparently celebrate this year’s Bond Day, that we are asked to celebrate an agent who doesn’t even exist yet.