We’ve known for a while that the video gaming match made in heaven that is pairing IO Interactive–the studio behind the Hitman games–with the James Bond franchise. After all, Hitman is already essentially Bond with a bald guy and more ludicrous improvised weapons, why not let them actually take a crack with 007? After years of waiting, we finally have our first look: and IO is definitely shaking things up, and leaving them rather unstirred.
Last night during Sony’s Playstation State of Play livestream, IO debuted the first trailer for 007: First Light, giving us a look at the tone to expect out of their twist on Bond–a wholly original rendition of the agent, of course, rather than being built on any of the prior actors to take on the mantle. It’s got a very action packed modern day spy-fi vibe: you’ve got sneaking, you’ve got shooting, you’ve got lavish locales, beautiful women for Bond to flirt and fight with, high-tech gadgetry. It feels like a proper whizz-blend of all the eras of Bond, from Connery to Craig, in a contemporary setting. Plus, it uses the On Her Majesty’s Secret Service theme for its big dramatic music track over the classic Bond motif, so you know it’s good.
Being a brand new Bond, First Light will follow the plight of the reckless, but charming young MI6 agent as he’s tapped by M for a mission that could grant him his fabled 00 status. And we mean young: although IO’s staying tight-lipped about just who’s voicing the character yet, First Light‘s Bond has been confirmed to be just 26 years old in the game’s story, making him the youngest-ever Bond. Bond’s age in Fleming’s novels has always been obfuscated, but he’s typically presented as being in his mid 30s to early 40s, while George Lazenby was youngest actor to play Bond on the big screen in his solo outing for On Her Majesty’s Secret Service. But even he was 29 at the time, 3 years older than First Light‘s Gen Z Bond.
James should’ve been at the club (he at least briefly gets to go to one in this trailer)! We realistically might have our first Bond who has realistically played Fortnite with the boys! All your favourite heroes are getting rebooted to be younger and hotter and more licensed to kill than you! God, the passage of time is a lot sometimes.
It’s kind of fascinating to see that First Light‘s Bond, even at his young age, still carries a lot of the same early origin details as Fleming’s novels had for Bond: the climbing accident that orphaned him, his career in the British navy before he signed up for MI6. Young James has already lived a life before he gets set on a globe-trotting spy adventure. Now he’s all grown up and flinging pistols at baddies’ heads.
007: First Light will hit PC, Xbox, Playstation, and Nintendo Switch 2 when it arrives some time in 2026
Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.
