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This Sunday is 007 Day, if you weren't aware – the fifth of October has become a worldwide celebration dedicated to everything about 007, because of the fact it commemorates the anniversary of the world premiere of the first Bond film, with Sean Connery, during 1962. Think of it similar to May the 4th, with fewer creature costumes and much more elegant confidence.

A Low-Key Event Currently

Yet this time around, the arrival of JBD is a bit anticlimactic. It hasn't been since Denis Villeneuve was confirmed to direct the upcoming 007 movie earlier this year, and even less time that writer Steven Knight was enlisted to draft the story. However, we've seen almost no indication from that point of the new 007 actually being revealed, with minimal clarity concerning the path this long-running series is headed. All we have are whisperings on the wind from entertainment outlets implying that the creative team are seeking a fairly young Brit, possibly from a diverse background but is not going to be female, an established star, or anyone we’ve vaguely heard of.

Bad News for Oddsmakers

Undoubtedly, this represents disappointing news for the many online bookmakers which have earning significant profits for months now through efforts to suggest bettors that the selection process is involving Callum Turner, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Henry Cavill, Theo James, Leo Woodall and that hunky guy from Saltburn with Australian origins.

Revisiting Unfamiliar Faces

Interestingly, the most recent occasion the 007 series opted for a complete unknown occurred in 1969, as George Lazenby for a short time carried the Walther PPK. Before that, Connery himself was not famous: he had taken some small movie parts along with some stage and modelling work while also employed in physique competitions and dairy delivery in Edinburgh prior to accepting the lead role in Dr No. The film's producers deliberately avoided an established star; they desired someone fresh that viewers would see as Bond himself, rather than as a performer portraying Bond.

Trying this approach once more could turn out to be an ingenious move, exactly as it was in the early 1960s.

Impact of Villeneuve

However, bringing in Villeneuve involved means that there's no room for error at all in case the future agent turns out to be unconvincing. Increasing the exploding pens and innuendo is off the table with a director like is a serious filmmaker of genre film-making renowned for ponderous sci-fi epics where the loudest sound is the audience’s own existential dread.

A tough guy in formalwear … Craig's debut in Casino Royale.

A New Direction for the Franchise

Nevertheless, in numerous aspects, hiring Villeneuve reveals a great deal that are essential regarding the upcoming post-Craig phase. There are not going to be stealth automobiles or double entendres, and the return of Sheriff JW Pepper again shortly. These changes are, of course, perfectly acceptable if you like your James Bond with a modern twist. Yet it fails to indicate this new version of the elegant government hitman will be unique compared to previous Bonds from the recent past especially if the next chapter opts not to place the plot in the initial decades.

Redefining Every Period

Craig stood out at once as a fresh version of stylish operative upon his debut on the scene in 2006’s Casino Royale, a bruiser in a dinner jacket who would never be caught dead with ridiculous gadgets, or using sexual wordplay with Denise Richards during bomb disposal. He rendered the previous Bond's polished style that just a short time before had been considered by some the top 007 after Connery, look like a karaoke Connery left too long in the microwave. This is not unprecedented. Lazenby succeeded Connery temporarily, Brosnan followed the underrated Timothy Dalton, and the campy later Moore came after the intense early Moore. Each Bond period reshapes the previous, yet they are all in its unique manner James Bond 007, deserving of a toast. It’s just a little weird, while we mark this year’s Bond Day, that the occasion calls to celebrate an agent that is not yet chosen.