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Arriving this weekend is Bond Day, in case you missed it – the fifth of October has become a global observance focused on the world of 007, due to this being the anniversary of the world premiere of Dr No, starring Sean Connery, in the year 1962. Think of it comparable to Star Wars Day, but with less furry aliens and much more elegant confidence.

A Muted Celebration Currently

But on this occasion, the arrival of James Bond Day seems somewhat anticlimactic. It hasn't been following the acclaimed director was announced as the director the next Bond film earlier this year, and shortly after when Peaky Blinders’ Steven Knight was brought on board to draft the story. But there’s been scant evidence since then about the future agent being officially announced, and even less sense concerning the path this venerable franchise is headed. All we have is industry speculation through film industry sources suggesting that the producers intend to cast a fairly young Brit, possibly non-white but is not going to be a woman, a big-name celebrity, or anyone remotely familiar.

Disappointment for Oddsmakers

Naturally, this is a setback for the numerous internet betting sites who have been generating substantial revenue for months now out of trying to convince punters that the competition is among a shortlist of actors and that hunky guy in Saltburn who is actually Australian.

A Return to the Unknown

Interestingly, the last time the movie franchise opted for a total unknown took place in 1969, when George Lazenby briefly took up the iconic pistol. Prior to that, the original Bond was not famous: he had had several supporting roles plus occasional acting and modeling gigs as well as working as a bodybuilder and milkman in his hometown prior to accepting the lead role in the first film. The creative heads deliberately avoided an established star; they wanted a new face who the public would believe as Bond himself, instead of a performer portraying Bond.

Repeating this trick might prove to be a clever decision, just as it was back in the sixties.

Impact of Villeneuve

Yet hiring Villeneuve on board indicates that there are no excuses at all if this new Bond turns out to be a stiff. Increasing the exploding pens and suggestive humor is not feasible with a director like is an artistic director of genre film-making most famous for ponderous sci-fi epics in which the most intense element is deep philosophical tension.

An aggressive type in black tie … Craig's debut in Casino Royale.

A New Direction for James Bond

And yet, in numerous aspects, bringing in Villeneuve provides clear signals we should understand about the new post-Daniel Craig direction. There are not going to be vehicles that disappear or suggestive jokes, and it's doubtful we'll see the southern lawman back any time soon. This entire situation is, undoubtedly, perfectly acceptable if you like your 007 contemporary in style. However, it leaves unclear the director's interpretation on Britain’s suavest state-sponsored assassin will distinguish itself compared to previous Bonds that came before him notably if the upcoming phase opts not to place the plot in the initial decades.

Transforming All Chapters

Craig was instantly distinctive as a fresh version of stylish operative as he appeared in the role in Casino Royale from 2006, an aggressive figure in black tie who would never be seen with ridiculous gadgets, or using sexual wordplay alongside Denise Richards while defusing a nuclear warhead. He made the previous Bond's polished style who only a few years previously had been considered by some the top 007 after Connery, look like a karaoke Connery overheated and ruined. This is not unprecedented. Lazenby succeeded Connery temporarily, Then Brosnan took over from the underappreciated Dalton, and cheesy late-era Roger Moore followed brilliantly dead-eyed and callous early Roger Moore. All franchise chapters alters the prior, however, every version remains distinctively the famous agent, deserving of a toast. It's somewhat strange, as we apparently celebrate this year’s Bond Day, that we are being invited to honor a character who doesn’t even exist yet.