After five years, IO Interactive has finally given fans a glimpse of its upcoming James Bond video game. The trailer for 007: First Light reveals a lot about the game, which is due for release on multiple platforms next year. We're shown the third person viewpoint, the present day setting, and a host of characters, including M, Moneypenny and Q. But most importantly, we've now seen the new Bond.
There's certainly no question over whether this is an origin story. From the references to the death of Bond's to his subsequent enrolment in the 00 program, it looks like this one will be covering similar(ish) ground to the last Bond prequel, Casino Royale. But the biggest giveaway is what has to be the most boyish Bond character design we've ever seen.
IO Interactive has declined to reveal the identity of the actor playing Bond in First Light, telling comicbook.com it wants "people to care about the game first", but fans already have an idea. The character model's resemblance to actor Patrick Gibson, starred as a young Dexter Morgan in the prequel series Dexter: Original Sin.
But there's another resemblance I'm spotting. One of the first ever images of James Bond came courtesy of an illustration commissioned by Bond author Ian Fleming himself as a visual aid for comic strip artists at the Daily Express. With a scar across his right cheek and "dark, rather cruel good looks", it's a dead ringer for Fleming's literary description of Bond.
IO Interactive's version take on the character looks like a much younger version of that illustration. The scar is there (none of the movie actors have ever sported it), and the hairline is decidedly fuller. But what's absolutely missing is those "cruel" good looks. This guy just looks like... a nice guy. And with the trailer appearing to show a more quippy script than the last few films gave us, it seems this Bond will be both younger and more light-hearted.
While general gaming fans have been impressed by the first look at 007: First Light, the James Bond fan community has been harder to please. "The face reminds me of the Action Man toys I had as a kid," one Redditor comments, while another adds, "I couldn't get past the fact that he looks a lot like Nathan Drake". Many others have compared the character to a young Ethan Hunt. And one Redditor succinctly puts it, "He looks like the kind of guy that cuts in front of you to get a Bud Light at an airport lounge."
In short, he looks a little generic. Perhaps the lack of tuxedo or suit isn't helping (this is the most casual Bond wardrobe we've seen), but right now this Bond is missing an ingredient, that touch of class mixed with a hint of menace, that separates Bond from other action heroes.
Which is probably the point. This is meant to be a very young Bond, and perhaps we'll even see him mature and gain some of that edge during the course of the game. And let's not forget, the initial reaction to Daniel Craig's casting back in 2005 was hardly kind, mostly on account of his blonde hair. If 007: First Light is a winner, perhaps naysayers like this one will come around to the new iteration of Bond.
