New James Bond writer Steven Knight has suggested that British people shouldn’t “glorify division” and that the nation’s “creative nationalism” should be celebrated instead.
Knight, 66, who created hit shows such as Peaky Blinders and A Thousand Blows, has bemoaned the current toxic rhetoric sweeping through Britain, which he believes has come from the US.
“I think if you’re loyal to Britain, you’re loyal to Britishness,” he said.
“And what Britishness has always been is a sense of humour, tolerance, getting on with it, and not glorifying the division. I don’t like this ‘they’re terrible, they’re awful, they’re the liberal elite, I hate them’ thing.”
As a solution, Knight proposed that Brits should be celebrating the creative and cultural achievements of the country.
“Creative nationalism is something I would absolutely be completely in favour of,” he told The Times. “We can’t allow ourselves to start pretending that we’re like other people. We’re not. We have to be ourselves. That’s what we should be raising flags about: the Beatles, Rolling Stones, The Crown, our fantastic actors”
Knight is currently working on the script for the 26th Bond movie, details of which are being kept firmly under wraps.
The film is being directed by Dune’s Denis Villeneuve but has yet to announce its cast, including who will replace Daniel Craig as 007.
Speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live in August, Knight said that writing a Bond film “has always been on my bucket list.”
“It's fantastic to be invited to do it – I can't wait to get started,” he added. “I'm hoping that, being a Bond fan for so many years, it will be imbued into me and I will be able to produce something that's the same but different, and better, stronger and bolder.”
The next Bond film will be the first after the franchise changed hands, with Amazon MGM taking full creative control earlier this year in a deal with long-time stewards Michael G Wilson and Barbara Broccoli. It will be overseen by producers Amy Pascal and David Heyman.
Meanwhile, Knight is gearing up to release his latest TV show, Netflix’s House of Guinness, which centres on the family behind the famous Irish stout brewery.
Knight is also known for writing films such as Dirty Pretty Things, Eastern Promises, and Locke.
His most recent screenplay to be produced was Maria, the biopic of opera singer Maria Callas, which starred Angelina Jolie and was directed by Pablo Larraín.
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