“It’ll take some time.”

James Bond producer Barbara Broccoli has shared a disappointing update on the next instalment of the franchise.

The film series, which has spanned 25 films, six actors and nearly six decades under Eon studios, had its most recent outing with Daniel Craig’s final appearance as the suave double-o agent in 2021’s No Time To Die.

Following the box-office smash, attention turned to who would be taking up the mantle next – and when. But, speaking to Variety, Broccoli shared an update that hinted audiences would be finding that out later, rather than sooner.

“It’s gonna take a while for us to get — you know, it’s a whole new reinvention,” she said. “So it’ll take some time.”

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The Bond franchise recently received an instalment of a different kind in the form of a television reality series, 007: Road to a Million.

The show features Brian Cox as ‘The Controller’ – the mastermind in charge of sending various pairs of civilians to complete espionage-themed challenges at Bond-linked locations around the world.

As reported in the same Variety interview, when Cox was offered the role, he assumed it was for the next film in the franchise.

“I thought ‘Oh, 007, finally,'” he said.

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“I should have realised that we haven’t got a new James Bond so why would they be casting a villain?” he continued.

“But I thought: ‘This might be my big moment to play a Bond villain.’ I’ve always wanted to play a Bond villain.”

Broccoli added that despite the stars not aligning in that particular way, Cox would have been a great Bond. “He’s amazing and audiences love him and he’s so great in the show,” she said.