Speculation about the next James Bond was rife even before Daniel Craig confirmed once and for all that he was stepping down.

Aaron Taylor-Johnson? Idris Elba? Henry Cavill? James Norton? A female 007?

Three-and-a-half years on from No Time To Die, already delayed due to COVID and other problems, there has not been a scrap of confirmation.

But now – plot twist – comes the announcement that Bond‘s long-time producers and custodians Barbara Broccoli and Michael G Wilson are handing…