James Bond producer Michael G. Wilson has ruled out the possibility of casting a younger actor to explore the character's early days.

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Wilson told Deadline that while the search for Daniel Craig's replacement is yet to officially begin, the next 007 will be "a thirty-something" in line with franchise tradition.

"We’ve tried looking at younger people in the past but trying to visualise it doesn’t work," he insisted.

"Remember, Bond’s already a veteran, he’s had some experience – he’s a person who has been through the wars, so to speak. He’s probably been in the SAS or something. He isn’t some kid out of high school that you can bring in and start off."

Series co-producer Barbara Broccoli suggested back in June that the next Bond movie is "at least two years away" from filming.

"We’re working out where to go with him, we’re talking that through," Broccoli said.

"There isn’t a script and we can’t come up with one until we decide how we’re going to approach the next film because, really, it’s a reinvention of Bond. We’re reinventing who he is and that takes time."

Daniel Craig as James Bond in Skyfall
Daniel Craig stars as James Bond in Skyfall Skyfall ©2012 Danjaq, LLC, United Artists Corporation, Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. All rights reserved. © MGM

Despite the hiatus, the future looks bright for secret agent 007, with the next actor to take on the mantle of Ian Fleming's super spy expected to sign up for "a 10-, 12-year commitment", while a new distribution deal will reportedly help keep Bond on the big screens until at least 2037.

The most recent film in the long-running series, 2021's No Time to Die, was Daniel Craig's fifth and final outing, grossing over $770 million at the box office.

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