Though she was a real person, Queen Elizabeth II has also been dramatized as a character in numerous movies and TV shows, such as “The Queen” (where she was played by Dame Helen Mirren, who won an Oscar for her performance) and “The Crown” (where she has been played by Claire Foy and Olivia Colman, each of whom won an Emmy for their performances). The same goes for her son, Charles III, who is now the King of England.
Based on Broccoli’s comments, it appears that James Bond will now be serving King Charles III — or some other fictional offscreen version of him. Fellow Bond producer Michael G. Wilson spoke further to THR about the Queen’s support of the franchise as a British institution, saying:
“She’s been a great supporter of the Bond films over the years. And so have everyone else in the Royal Family — Charles and [Prince] William and everyone else. She’s been a steady hand. You don’t think of her so much as a person. It is a shock, no matter how much you anticipate it may happen.”
In the early stages, the Daniel Craig era of James Bond was greatly influenced by the Jason Bourne film series, and Bourne actor Matt Damon once criticized Bond as “an imperialist, misogynist sociopath” who was out of touch with today’s values. “No Time to Die” suggested that the Bond series may be looking to recalibrate, which it would have to do, anyway, whenever they find the next Bond.
While the general public may have mixed feelings about the Queen due to Britain’s imperialist history, her reign is part of both human history and movie history. Now that it and Craig’s tenure are over, it will be interesting to see where the Bond franchise goes from here.
