The next James Bond movie has much to accomplish. When it premieres, it will have to thread the needle and showcase an evolved Bond — even as no one currently knows what they want.

Amazon MGM must find a perfect balance for next James Bond movie

Very little is known about the upcoming James Bond movie, like who is going to play the titular spy. Speculation seems to be ranging from a myriad of known actors like Jacob Elordi and Callum Turner, all the way to lesser-known stars like Tom Francis. One thing is for certain, though, and that’s that Amazon MGM will have to evolve the character in meaningful ways, especially in the first movie since the company has taken over creative control of the franchise. The problem with that, though, is that not many people can agree on how to do it.

Currently, there exists a large split online about what the next James Bond movie should include. Many fans of more classic entries in the franchise want a return to form, a classic Bond without a lot of the fluff that has come with the new era of films. On the flipside, modern fans who don’t have such an attachment to Bond want an even more diverse and contemporary take on the character. Both sides of the fanbase also seem to want the next movie to stray away from the formulaic stories found across the Bond filmography.

Finding a middle ground to please all fans won’t be easy, especially in today’s day and age. Social media has made pleasing everyone significantly more difficult, and decisions can be immediately criticized one way or another, or take off into something completely different as we’re seeing now with The Odyssey’s casting backlash.

Amazon MGM Studios first must figure out the man to play Bond, a big task in and of itself. There, at least, exists a formula for that. Amazon recently locked in casting director Nina Gold to helm the search for the next Bond, who, speaking to Deadline, noted two major things. One, the actor must “ooze sex appeal,” something not too surprising given the past actors who have played Bond. Second, whoever they pick must be young enough to play the role for at least a handful of movies.

Whenever we get more info on the new James Bond movie, it will be interesting to track the reactions. The goal for Amazon is to not only deliver a movie that feels new, but feels new without losing much of what made the Bond movies feel so unique, as well.