GoKawiilSo you're new to this whole James Bond thing. You're wondering: Where do I start? It's a good question. You've got more than two dozen movies to choose from, with six different actors portraying 007 in the official franchise across distinctly different eras and approaches.
I'm here to help you with that. I grew up watching Bond movies and reading the Ian Fleming books that first brought the MI6 superspy to life, a formative experience that had a knock-on effect on my first big career choice.
We're at an inflection point for Mr. Bond (or Commander Bond, if you prefer), coming up on five years since the most recent 007 movie arrived in theaters. That was No Time to Die, which rather definitively put an end to Daniel Craig's tenure. And after decades of ironclad creative control by members of the Broccoli family, Bond's fate has been placed in the hands of Amazon MGM Studios.
The studio said in May that the search is underway for Craig's successor as the next James Bond, a plum assignment that should unfold in a number of movies over the next decade or more. We also know the director will be Denis Villeneuve, who'll be fresh off wrapping up his Dune trilogy.
You may hear the upcoming movie referred to as Bond 26 -- that's not the actual title, of course, nor does it tell the whole story. It'll be the 26th installment in the Bond franchise from Eon Productions, which dates all the way back to 1962's Dr. No, a modestly budgeted film that proved a hit and launched Sean Connery in a career-defining role. But there are also two other, unofficial Bond movies -- one of them starring Connery himself. (Plot twists aren't limited to the individual film scripts, you know.) So with Villeneuve's film, that would be 28 in total.
For those needing a Bond fix right now, there's the new 007: First Light video game, which just came out this week. (Click the link to see my colleague David Lumb's hands-on with the game.) There's also the new Prime Video series Bait, in which Riz Ahmed stars as an actor auditioning to be Bond.
And we have all the old movies to catch up on, whether as rewatches for us longtime fans or, for newcomers, a first look at what has made James Bond one of the definitive cinematic roles of all time. You can find them all to rent or buy on Prime Video, which, like Bond himself, is an Amazon property.
Daniel Craig means business as MI6 secret agent James Bond, aka 007. Greg Williams/Getty Images
Start with Daniel Craig in Casino Royale
Daniel Craig's first outing as James Bond is a terrific spy/action movie, period. It's heart-poundingly good, and I'm riveted every time I watch it. But Casino Royale (2006) also did what no previous Bond movie could do: It completely rebooted the franchise, blowing up a formula that many saw as played out, with far-fetched gimmicks and belabored puns, even as it remained a steady box office draw. It's based on Ian Fleming's very first Bond novel and gives us Bond very much as he was introduced to the world. It stays true to that original story in many essential ways (not a hallmark of Bond movies in general) while at the same time updating it for modern audiences attuned to the Jason Bourne and Mission: Impossible movies.
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