Former James Bond Actor Wants The Franchise "Reinvented" Amid Amazon's Casting Battle

Published Nov 1, 2026, 2:14 PM EST Rianna is the Movie News Editor for ScreenRant. After earning her BA in Film Studies, she began her career as an entertainment writer, contributing to several publications before joining ScreenRant. Her dissertation on the impact of streaming on traditional cinema sharpened her focus on the ever-evolving world of film and media. With 10 years in the industry, Rianna continues to cover the stories she loves while also advocating for awareness and representation of rare disabilities, such as Moebius Syndrome, which she lives with. Sign in to your ScreenRant account James Bond's future is hanging in the balance. James Bond was created in 1953 by British author Ian Fleming and has become the go-to for spy thrillers. With many adaptations spanning decades, it's no secret that the character is beloved worldwide. With 12 novels and two short stories written by Fleming, the endless possibilities for the British secret agent have been shown through movies spanning many decades. Now, Amazon MGM Studios is taking on the spy franchise and hunting down their next 007. Amazon MGM Studios has yet to announce its next Bond, with the finalists finishing screen tests and awaiting news of the next 007. However, one actor who has previously been a part of the Bond universe has laid out his thoughts surrounding the new adaptation. In an interview with The Times, Ben Whishaw, known as James Bond's gadget guru Q, during the Daniel Craig era, addressed the news of the upcoming movie and what he thinks should happen for it to succeed: "The world has changed so much since the last Bond film, so you have to find what is relevant about it. I think it needs to be reinvented completely. But it’s not for me to say." Whishaw was Q for nine years and appeared in Skyfall, Spectre, and No Time to Die, and was the youngest actor to portray the character, replacing John Cleese. However, the actor apparently does not think much of his time within the franchise and stated, "I rarely think about Bond," while also stating that it "would be weird" if he returned for Amazon's adaptation. When discussing the upcoming casting announcement, the actor shared: "It’s all deliberate hype. When you are working on it it’s incredibly secretive, almost like being a spy — you only get the pages of the script that you are in. It’s a ploy to create suspense and glamour, but it’s kind of fun." More to come...