It is complex: James Bond #26 – a draft
Who will succeed Daniel Craig as the next 007 is undoubtedly exciting for Bond fans. Almost even more interesting to me, however, is the question of the story of the bond movie #26. After all, Bond films have always been a mirror of their time. And our time makes it anything but easy for the storywriters: wars, environmental problems, climate change, poverty, migration, pandemics, extremism, terror, social division… Which of these themes should be at the center of the next Bond mission? The situation is complex. In comparison, the Cold War, Bond’s classic playground, retrospectively seems almost straightforward.
But there is one question that towers over everything: What if, as a society, we are no longer able to make the right decisions together in the face of this flood of crises?
Then our way of life, yes our freedom, would suddenly be anything but taken for granted – and we would be right in the middle of LIGHT OF FREEDOM, my draft for Bond No. 26.
JAMES BOND #26
LIGHT OF FREEDOM
Freedom dies in the shadows.
Hate, incitement, manipulation. For years, the cartel of the asian AI billionaire Ish has ruthless and secretly brought nations and their governments under its control through „street pressure.“ Having been made hyper-intelligent by an AI implant, Ish now faces the final blow: the de facto takeover of the US presidency and thus control of the world’s most powerful military force.
After the darkest chapters in human history, the world once again teeters on the brink. Democracy, human rights, freedom—everything is at stake.
But in the shadow of a seemingly paralyzed America, the old ally Europe awakens and remembers. Values. Principles. Courage. Led by the British Crown, the continent dispatches a special task force to the rescue. At its head: James Bond. Codename: 007.
His mission: to dismantle Ish’s global web of lies, subversion, and intrigue and prevent catastrophe before the last spark of hope for the free world is extinguished. A breathless chase begins: From the secret archives of Vienna, through the World Economic Forum in Davos, to the deadly canyons of New York City, and on to the remote valleys of the icy Himalayas, the organization’s headquarters. Through a world torn between light and shadow, where every defeat could mean the end. And against a treacherous adversary who always seems to be one step ahead.
JAMES BOND #26 LIGHT OF FREEDOM
Against the shadows of the future, for the lights of freedom.
US elections: The streets of freedom.
„Felix’s been sidelined – they’ve got their people everywhere. You have to do something.“
Jinx
Bully-Chase: World Economic Forum, Davos.
To escape Ish’s henchmen, Bond – a first in a 007 film – steals a snow groomer. After the chase, he parks it elegantly in the entrance area of the World Economic Forum, and immediately afterwards meets Ish for the first time.
Bond uses the winch of the snow groomer to disable Ish’s Land Rover.
Fighting against Ish’s pursuers on skis.
A shower of sparks: Driving a snow groomer on the asphalt of the spectacular Flüela Pass.
The Cartel: Conference in Vienna.
On the way to Asia (Hong Kong).
Ish’s headquarters in the mountain.
Final in the Himalayas.
The Mission-Car:
Aston Martin Valhalla
Hyperintelligent: Ish.
„People, Mr. Bond, don’t have time for complex truths. They prefer simple solutions – my solutions.“
– Ish –
What is true, what is false? LIGHT OF FREEDOM – an analysis:
LIGHT OF FREEDOM reads like a mirror to our times: truth is under pressure, while digital manipulation is becoming a political weapon. The AI billionaire Ish embodies the anxiety about a future in which technology no longer merely serves, but dominates. Her global network of disinformation is fiction – but it points to real debates about fake news, algorithmic outrage, and the power of individual tech players.
In the film, Bond confronts this threat. Not as a flawless hero, but as a symbol of the vulnerability of free societies. The plot depicts a world at a crossroads: between enlightenment and manipulation, between democratic self-determination and technocratic influence. With Europe as a kind of moral counterpoint, reflecting on its values and taking action – a motif that could hardly be more relevant given global tensions.
The real message, however, extends far beyond the pure action: freedom is not a given, nor is it something one possesses, but rather a responsibility. Bond may fight on the front lines in the film. In reality, however, this fight lies with us – in critical thinking, in questioning, and in insisting on truth in a world that increasingly makes it seem negotiable.
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