EXCLUSIVE: James Bond Writers Reveal Twist That Has Left New Creators With 'Huge Headache' When It Comes to Resurrecting the Super-Spy for Amazon
Bond writers have run into a major obstacle.
Sept. 25 2025, Published 7:10 p.m. ET
James Bond's on-screen death has left the writers tasked with reviving him battling what insiders tell RadarOnline.com is a "huge creative headache," with questions mounting over how Amazon MGM Studios can bring the legendary spy back to life.
The problem stems from No Time to Die, the 2021 film in which Daniel Craig, now 57, bowed out after his Bond was poisoned by nanobots and killed in a missile strike – the first time the secret agent had been shown dying in the franchise's six-decade history.
Bond's Death Creates A Creative Nightmare
Writers have struggled to revive James Bond after his on-screen death, sources claimed.
It was a twist hailed as bold at the time, but has now become a thorn in the side of the new creative team, led by Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight.
A source close to the production claimed: "Writers are tearing their hair out. Bond didn't just vanish off a cliff or fake his death – he was blown to pieces on screen. Everyone agrees it was a massive mistake because Bond is supposed to be eternal. They are now stuck trying to find a believable way to resurrect him, and it is proving almost impossible."
Authors Question How Bond Can Return
Daniel Craig’s Bond died in a missile strike in 'No Time to Die.'
Anthony Horowitz, the novelist commissioned by the Ian Fleming estate to write three official 007 books, echoed the concern.
He said: "The last time we saw Bond, he was poisoned and blown to smithereens – how will they get past the fact he is dead with a capital D? I think that was a mistake, because Bond is a legend. He belongs to everybody, he is eternal – except in that film. If I was asked tomorrow to write the script, I wouldn't be able to do it. Where would you start? You can't have him waking up in the shower and saying it was all a dream."
Horowitz, who has just finished work on the BBC thriller Nine Bodies in a Mexican Morgue, added he had never been asked to contribute to the films by producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G Wilson, who oversaw the franchise before handing creative control to Amazon earlier this year.
"Never been asked, never really wanted to," he said. "You need a thick skin for that business. I'm probably happier out of it."
Big Names Join The 26th Bond Project
Denis Villeneuve has joined early talks to shape Bond’s return.
Insiders said Knight is working with director Denis Villeneuve, best known for Dune, and heavyweight producers Amy Pascal and David Heyman, who was behind the Harry Potter and Paddington series.
The new 007 film – the 26th in the official franchise – is not expected until 2027 or 2028.
Another source involved in early discussions said: "The headache is not just about the script. Until they decide how to deal with Bond's death, they can't cast the new actor. It affects everything, from the tone of the story to the timeline they choose. Right now, nobody has the answer."
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Who Will Be The Next Bond?
Former Bond actor Pierce Brosnan publicly argued James Bond must remain male.
Speculation over who will succeed Craig continues to swirl. Tom Holland, Jacob Elordi, and Aaron Taylor-Johnson are all reported contenders.
Dame Helen Mirren and former Bond actor Pierce Brosnan have publicly argued the role must remain male.
But without a solution to what one studio insider called "the Bond corpse problem," the franchise risks stalling.
"They killed the unkillable," our insider said. "Now they have to figure out how to undo it without making a mockery of everything that came before."
