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This Sunday is Bond Day, for those who didn't know – the fifth of October now stands as a global observance honoring the world of 007, due to this being the day of the international launch of the inaugural 007 movie, with Sean Connery, back in 1962. Consider it similar to Star Wars Day, but with less Wookiees and Ewoks and a whole lot more tuxedoed swagger.

A Subdued Celebration This Year

But on this occasion, the advent of the 007 celebration is a bit anticlimactic. It's only been since the filmmaker was revealed to direct the upcoming 007 movie earlier this year, and not long afterwards when Peaky Blinders’ Steven Knight was enlisted to draft the story. Yet there has been little to no sign since then regarding the next Bond being officially announced, and very little idea about the direction this long-running series is going next. What remains is industry speculation from entertainment outlets suggesting that the producers are seeking a relatively youthful UK performer, who could be a person of colour but is not going to be a woman, a big-name celebrity, or a person we’ve vaguely heard of.

Disappointment for Betting Agencies

Naturally, this is a setback for the numerous online bookmakers which have making a pretty penny over recent months through efforts to suggest gamblers that the competition is between several speculated candidates and that hunky guy featured in Saltburn who’s secretly Australian.

Revisiting Unfamiliar Faces

Intriguingly, the most recent occasion the film series actually went for an absolute newcomer was in 1969, as George Lazenby for a short time carried the famous firearm. Earlier, Connery himself had little recognition: he had taken several supporting roles along with some stage and modelling work in addition to working in physique competitions and dairy delivery in Scotland before landing the main character in the debut movie. Producers Cubby Broccoli and Harry Saltzman deliberately avoided a household name; they sought a new face who the public would believe as Bond himself, instead of a star in the role.

Employing this strategy again may end up as a clever decision, just as it was in the early 1960s.

Impact of Villeneuve

Yet hiring Villeneuve involved suggests that there are no excuses at all if this new Bond ends up as a stiff. Amplifying the ridiculous devices and double entendres is not feasible when your new director is a solemn auteur specializing in cinematic genres best known for ponderous sci-fi epics in which the most intense element is profound unease.

A tough guy in formalwear … Craig's debut in Casino Royale.

A New Direction for the Franchise

And yet, in many ways, selecting this director provides clear signals we need to know concerning the fresh post-Craig phase. It's unlikely there will be vehicles that disappear or sexual innuendos, and it's doubtful we'll see Sheriff JW Pepper in the near future. This entire situation is, naturally, quite alright for those who prefer the secret agent updated for today. However, it leaves unclear how Villeneuve’s take on Britain’s suavest state-sponsored assassin will stand out against earlier agents from the recent past notably if the new era decides against to set the narrative back to Ian Fleming’s original 50s and 60s setting.

Redefining Every Period

Craig was immediately recognisable as a new kind of stylish operative upon his debut in the franchise in Casino Royale from 2006, a tough character in formal attire who would never be caught dead with ridiculous gadgets, or using sexual wordplay with Denise Richards while defusing a nuclear warhead. He rendered Brosnan's tech-dependent charmer which recently was viewed by many the finest agent since the original, seem like an imitation Connery badly reheated. This is not unprecedented. After Connery came Lazenby, Then Brosnan took over from the underrated Timothy Dalton, and the campy later Moore followed brilliantly dead-eyed and callous early Roger Moore. Each Bond period redefines the last one, but each one is in its unique manner the iconic spy, and worth raising a glass to. It’s just a little weird, during this year's this year’s Bond Day, that we are being invited to toast one who remains unidentified.