Bond 25: 10 Things That We Need In The Next 007 Film

As the long wait continues for news regarding Daniel Craig’s final Bond film, fans cannot overstate the legacy of a franchise now developing its 25th official entry.

Spanning more than fifty years and featuring six different actors in the role, the films have survived for so long due to their continuing ability to adapt to cultural trends.

Of course, certain elements of the Bond films remain a constant. When we sit down to watch the latest 007 adventure, there are boxes that we thoroughly expect to be ticked with respect to the traditions of the series.

While rightly lauded for his tour-de-force performance, Craig's era is notable for its efforts to creatively subvert traditional facets of 007 films, from stylistic details to the very nature of the storytelling.

While some moves have doubtlessly been refreshing, others have taken the films in divisive directions that leave fans clamouring for a return to certain components of the formula that defines cinematic James Bond for so many.

If the Bond films were rebooted in 2006 to chart 007’s journey from his early days, the culmination of Craig’s tenure needs to include these essential signifiers that James Bond, in all its glory, has truly returned.

The James Bond films of the Craig era have experimented with different styles to subvert the traditional 007 gun barrel sequences which had previously opened every film from 1962’s Dr No to 2002’s Die Another Day.

Segueing from Bond’s first kill to the iconic shot in Casino Royale, moving the sequence to the end of the film in Quantum of Solace and Skyfall, and finally a “fade to black” ending to the shot in Spectre.

The story arc of Craig’s films has charted his transformation from raw rookie double-oh to the confident, effortlessly suave and efficient agent we know and love. If Bond 25 is indeed Craig’s final film, it would be only fitting to bring back the traditional gun barrel sequence to open the film, with the restored classic style.

That means a swerving effect of the barrel after the crimson dripping of blood that follows the gunshot. The white barrel would then track along the black screen before resting in a spot which directly segues into the opening shot of the film. If audiences are to truly see that James Bond has returned to culminate the end of Craig’s 007 arc, this is the way to start.