{"id":256257,"date":"2025-09-26T14:05:14","date_gmt":"2025-09-26T14:05:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/256257\/"},"modified":"2025-09-26T14:05:14","modified_gmt":"2025-09-26T14:05:14","slug":"international-insider-bond-casting-update","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/256257\/","title":{"rendered":"International Insider: Bond Casting Update"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\tAnother week, another Insider, friends. Jesse Whittock here with you as a guide through all of the biggest international TV and film news, including a BIG update on a certain 007. You\u2019ll be shaken and stirred. Sign up for the newsletter here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\n\tBaz\u2019s Bond Casting Update<\/strong><\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Courtesy\"<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCourtesy<\/p>\n

\n\tMr. Bond\u2026 We\u2019ve been expecting you:<\/strong> It just had to be our own man in a well-to-do suit, Baz Bamigboye, who provided the first meaningful update on the hunt for the next James Bond<\/a> since Amazon MGM Studios named Denis Villeneuve as the next movie\u2019s director. On Wednesday, Baz dropped the 411 on 007\u2019s next identity<\/a>, revealing the profile of the man that Villeneuve will seek to cast for his upcoming Bond movie. Bad news for proponents of a U.S. actor such as Timoth\u00e9e Chalamet, Glen Powell, Austin Butler and Jacob Elordi \u2013 it\u2019s going to be Brit. More bad news if you were into the idea of an older Bond such as Tom Hardy, aged 47, Idris Elba (53) and Henry Cavill (42) \u2013 if Villeneuve sticks to his current plan the actor will be an \u201cunknown\u201d in their late 20s or early 30s. This suggests he and Bond owner Amazon MGM Studios are sticking to tradition, with a plan to make a star out of a new face over several movies. That was the case for the most recent Bonds, Daniel Craig and Pierce Brosnan, both of whom became bona fide stars during their runs as the fictional spy. Add in writer Steven Knight\u2019s penchant for characters who, for the want of a better phrase, kick ass and take names. A source told Baz that, \u201cWhoever it is, has to look like he could kill you with his bare hands in a trice. From the moment you see him, that has to be readily apparent.\u201d Baz\u2019s intelligence also stretches to the sense that Knight will go back to Bond\u2019s beginnings as a Royal Navy Commander before he was recruited by MI6, the UK\u2019s foreign intelligence agency, and chart how Bond attained 007 status. Word of warning, though: Nothing more meaningful is coming until Villeneuve finishes shooting Dune: Part Three, so don\u2019t blame me or Baz if there\u2019s no more concrete news for a while. Still, it\u2019s an exciting time, as a key Baz source put it: \u201cIt\u2019s a new Bond, a new start, a fresh everything.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tGaza Cries Dominate San Sebastian<\/strong><\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tJB Lacroix\/WireImage<\/p>\n

\n\t\u2018Genozidioa Stop\u2019:<\/strong> Spain\u2019s San Sebastian Film Festival<\/a> ends Saturday, and this year\u2019s festival has been a pretty political event, with the violence in Gaza front and centre. High-profile festival guests, both local and international, donned watermelon pins with the inscription \u2018Genocide Stop\u2019 in the local Basque spelling, \u2018Genozidioa Stop,\u2019 as they passed through the festival\u2019s relaxed red carpet. Festival delegates alongside local activists hosted a demonstration of over 3,000 people last Saturday at the festival\u2019s main gala venue in protest against the violence in Gaza. While accepting Spain\u2019s National Film Award at the festival on September 20, veteran actor Eduard Fern\u00e1ndez wore a Keffiyeh, a traditional Palestinian garb, and spoke at length about\u00a0Gaza. San Sebastian has often been a politically charged festival. Ahead of this year\u2019s event, the San Sebastian Management Committee published an open letter stating what it described as a public rejection of Benjamin Netanyahu\u2019s government and its \u201cgenocide\u201d of the Palestinian people. However, speaking with us ahead of the festival, San Sebastian head Jos\u00e9 Luis Rebordinos said that it is important to note that he and the festival are against any calls for \u201ccultural boycotts\u201d and would support Israeli films. Elsewhere,\u00a0San Sebastian<\/a>\u2019s Creative Investors\u2019 Conference was bustling with execs from companies like TF1, Fremantle, and Mediawan discussing the state of the industry. The highlight talk was perhaps with industry vet Patrick Wachsberger, who urged caution over fears surrounding the shifting industry landscape. \u201cStay calm. Let\u2019s be optimistic,\u201d Wachsberger said. \u201cCreativity is inhibited by fear.\u201d You can check out our full coverage of the conference\u00a0here<\/a>. On the film side, the standout competition title has been Dolores Fonzi\u2019s\u00a0Bel\u00e9n<\/a>, which has been submitted as\u00a0Argentina<\/a>\u2019s entry for the Best International Feature Film category at the 98th annual Academy Awards. Check back with us tomorrow to see which film takes the top prize at San Sebastian.<\/p>\n

\n\tOscars Selection Sparks Busan Debate<\/strong><\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Thai<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tJung Yeon-je \/ AFP via Getty Images<\/p>\n

\n\tBusan a move:<\/strong> The 30th edition of Busan International Film Festival saw the likes of Lisa from Blackpink, who starred in Season 3 of\u00a0The White Lotus; Lee Byung-hung, star of Park Chan-wook\u2019s opening night film\u00a0No Other Choice; and actress-director Sylvia Chang descend on the Korean city for a lively event, ably covered by our roving Asia editor Liz Shackleton. Also in town were Guillermo del Toro, Iranian auteur Jafar Panahi, who was awarded Asian Filmmaker of the Year, and\u00a0KPop Demon Hunters\u00a0creator Maggie Kang, with the smash Netflix movie unsurprisingly being among the most talked-about topics. Liz\u2019s analysis of the event took in the hot-button topic of Oscars submission processes. Panahi called out the Academy on how it allows movies in the Best International Feature Film category to be selected, urging it to break ties with national governments, which don\u2019t always employ the most transparent processes and often allow politics to color their judgment. All our Busan coverage, including plenty of deals from Busan\u2019s sales event ACFM, is here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe Wild Claims Of Marco Robinson<\/strong><\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Marco<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tBoomerang<\/p>\n

\n\tMany faces:<\/strong> Here\u2019s a head-spinning story of a bestselling author, philanthropist, property tycoon, motivational speaker, TV star and film producer. Or a story about a man who\u2019s none of those things. Jake this week published a long-gestating investigation into \u201cSir\u201d Marco Robinson, whose wild claims about #collabs with Russell Crowe and invitations to Richard Branson\u2019s Necker Island appear to unravel under even gentle examination. Of course, people make boastful statements of dubious merit all the time, but, as our story explains, Robinson has monetized his fantasies by selling development masterclasses to aspiring writers and offering other services for a fee. It\u2019s a complicated and bizarre tale and you can read it here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\n\tTikTock On The Block<\/strong><\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Donald<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tGetty<\/p>\n

\n\tTikTok on the block:<\/strong> The saga over TikTok\u2019s place in the U.S. has been rumbling for months, acting as a particular bugbear among the many things that upset President Donald Trump. This week, Trump signed an(other) executive order declaring legal a 2024 order that the social media platform\u2019s Chinese owner, ByteDance, must divest its U.S. operations to local owners. It sounds like a group featuring some familiar faces \u2013 Oracle chair Larry Ellison (and father of Paramount chief David Ellison), the Murdochs\u2019 Fox Corp., and Dell Technologies CEO Michael Dell \u2013 will be part of a consortium that picks up the dance-crazy app. Oracle, private equity firm Silver Lake and Abu Dhabi-based investment fund MGX will be the largest shareholders. ByteDance will be allowed to keep just under 20% and current investors will account for an overall 35%. Vice President J.D. Vance has said the transaction values the U.S. part of TikTok at $14B. The whole issue hinges on whether TikTok gives ByteDance \u2013 and by extension the Chinese government \u2013 access to data on thousands, potentially millions, of American citizens. Both Republican and Democrat administrations have had cause for concern and it sounds like the issue is finally coming to an end. Ted Johnson\u2019s report<\/a> has the detail.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe Essentials<\/strong><\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Caroline<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tGetty<\/p>\n

\n\t\ud83c\udf36\ufe0f Hot One:<\/strong> Caroline Aherne, the beloved British comedy star behind\u00a0The Royle Family\u00a0and\u00a0The Mrs Merton Show, is to be the subject of a feature film<\/a> from The Crown producer Andy Harries and Philomena writer Jeff Pope.<\/p>\n

\n\t\ud83c\udf36\ufe0f Another One:<\/strong> Rose Matafeo\u00a0is returning home<\/a> for\u00a0Sky\u00a0New Zealand\u2019s\u00a0Small Town Scandal,\u00a0appearing opposite British star\u00a0Felicity Kendal.<\/p>\n

\n\t\ud83d\udd25 A third:<\/strong> Veteran Philippines studio\u00a0Regal Entertainment\u00a0has launched<\/a> the latest installment in its long-running\u00a0Shake, Rattle & Roll\u00a0horror anthology franchise.<\/p>\n

\n\t\ud83d\udd2c Analysis:<\/strong> Why the UK\u2019s Culture Secretary is increasingly exasperated<\/a> by right-leaning news net GB News<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\n\t\ud83d\udea8 Sound the alarm:<\/strong> European indie producers have warned<\/a> a proposed European Commission mega-funding strand AgoraEu could threaten creativity and diversity across the economic bloc.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u26fa Fest:<\/strong> SXSW London\u2019s second edition was confirmed<\/a> and will run between June 1-6 in the British capital.<\/p>\n

\n\t\ud83e\udd1d Done deal:<\/strong> Canal+ closed<\/a> its $2B takeover of Africa\u2019s MultiChoice and pledged to double down on originals like Shaka iLembe.<\/p>\n

\n\t\ud83d\udc40 First look:<\/strong> At Crave\u2019s steamy Canadian ice hockey<\/a> drama Heated Rivalry.<\/p>\n

\n\t\ud83c\udf7f Box Office:<\/strong> \u00a0Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle\u00a0has become the biggest Japanese film ever globally<\/a>, with an estimated $555M+ gross this past weekend.<\/p>\n

\n\tInternational Insider was written by Jesse Whittock and edited by Jake Kanter. Zac Ntim contributed.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Another week, another Insider, friends. Jesse Whittock here with you as a guide through all of the biggest…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":256258,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[171,134932,15223,53,129915,67,132,68],"class_list":{"0":"post-256257","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-movies","8":"tag-entertainment","9":"tag-gb-news","10":"tag-james-bond","11":"tag-movies","12":"tag-san-sebastian-film-festival","13":"tag-united-states","14":"tag-unitedstates","15":"tag-us"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/256257","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=256257"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/256257\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/256258"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=256257"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=256257"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=256257"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}