How James Bond Franchise Will Address Queen Elizabeth II’s Death

The death of Queen Elizabeth II at the age of 96 has shocked the world, and as people across the globe continue to mourn the loss of Britain’s longest-reigning monarch, a popular film franchise must adjust to the rise of a new monarch, King Charles III. Across more than a dozen films, fictional British Secret Service agent James Bond, or 007, has been a member of “Her Majesty’s secret service,” meaning the franchise now has to address the monarch’s death in its upcoming films.

James Bond producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson opened up about how the film’s will move forward and take a different shape in the wake of Her Majesty’s passing in a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter. Fans of the franchise know that a fictional version of the Queen was a pretty prominent figure in the films, with the iconic agent fighting for “Queen and country” for more than six decades, ever since Sean Connery first played Bond in 1962’s Dr. No. Now, Bond will be “working for king and country,” according to Broccoli.

“Well, as you say, Bond worked for queen and country, and will now be working for king and country. He was a very loyal servant of the British government. He’s a classical hero that cares about the world and cares about humanity more than his own personal desires,” he shared. “It’s a very sad time in Britain, obviously, it’s a big time of transition, but she certainly has left a very extraordinary legacy.”

While the Queen had a major influence on 007, the real-life version of the monarch was also apparently a big fan of the franchise, as witnessed Her Majesty being featured alongside Daniel Craig in a clip shown as part of the 2012 Olympic Games opening ceremony, and the official Bond Twitter account marking Her Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee by tweeting, “for Queen and country.”

“She’s been a great supporter of the Bond films over the years. And so have everyone else in the royal family – Charles and William and everyone else. She’s been a steady hand. You don’t think of her so much as a person. It is a shock, no matter how much you anticipate it may happen,” Wilson said. “We just took her around and introduced the cast and crew every time she came to the openings. Prince Phillip was also a great Bond fan. He was very reactive. We’d be in the box with him and he’d laugh and clap.”

The Queen passed away “peacefully” at Balmoral, her Scottish estate, on Sept. 8 at age 96. Born on April 21, 1926, she became Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms on February 6, 1952 following the death of her father, King George VI. She reigned for 70 years, the longest of any British monarch.