James Bond book writer Anthony Horowitz has revealed he thinks movie bosses made a huge “mistake” by killing off their main character in the last film No Time to Die because they’ve made it difficult to move the franchise forward.
Anthony Horowitz is convinced movie bosses made a huge “mistake” by killing off James Bond.
The novelist wrote three 007 books after being chosen for the job by the estate of late Bond writer Ian Fleming, but he doesn’t envy the job of the team tasked with coming up with ideas for the next movie after the superspy – played by Daniel Craig – was “poisoned and blown to smithereens” at the end of 2021’s No Time to Die.
Horowitz told Radio Times magazine: “[There’s] one major issue … The last time we saw Bond he was poisoned and blown to smithereens – how will they get past the fact he is dead with a capital D?
“I think that was a mistake, because Bond is a legend. He belongs to everybody, he is eternal – except in that film.
“If I was asked tomorrow to write the script, I wouldn’t be able to do it. Where would you start? You can’t have him waking up in the shower and saying it was all a dream.”
Horowitz – who published three Bond novels between 2015 and 2022 – also revealed he’s never been asked to write a screenplay for any of the movies but wouldn’t want the job anyway.
He added: “[I’ve] never been asked, never really wanted to … You need a thick skin for that business [the movie business]. I’m probably happier out of it.”
Daniel Craig stepped down from the role of James Bond after his fifth film No Time To Die in 2021 and the franchise’s long-time producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson also walked away – handing over control of the franchise to Amazon MGM Studios.
The new Bond bosses are busy working on the next film – hiring Dune director Denis Villeneuve to helm the picture with Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight in charge of the script.
The hunt for a new actor to play the superspy is underway and Callum Turner recently emerged as a surprise frontrunner to replace Craig.
The actor known for his role in Fantastic Beasts, now sits just behind long-time favourite for the role Aaron Taylor-Johnson, 34, whose odds stand at 8/11. Bookmakers slashed odds on 35-year-old Callum taking the 007 role following a recent of bets.
Henry Cavill, 41, and Theo James, 40, remain in contention, but Coral bookmakers confirmed Callum’s odds have shortened significantly.
John Hill, a spokesperson for Coral, said: “Callum Turner has been extremely popular in our James Bond betting over the weekend, forcing us to slash his odds to replace Daniel Craig.
“With Turner being backed, and [his pop star fiancee] Dua Lipa odds-on to play the soundtrack for the next Bond movie, the power couple could be the future of the franchise.”
Anthony Horowitz declares killing James Bond ‘was a mistake’
