Felix rising from the ashes
Until the Daniel Craig era, continuity was never the James Bond series' strong point. The constant chopping and changing of actors playing CIA agent Felix Leiter between 1962–89 may be jarring for today's viewers. Yet it didn't matter too much in the '60s and '70s — the days before physical home media.
Cinema-goers would watch a Bond film on the big screen and return to watch the follow-up two years later. Oh, the days when a James Bond flick was released every two years. They'd likely forgotten who played Felix Leiter previously, as films didn't have an afterlife.
Jeffrey Wright's first appearance in Casino Royale '06 was, of course, a reboot. The fact that Felix had lost a leg to a great white shark when we last saw him was irrelevant.
Despite Jeffrey's Felix dying in No Time To Die, he's open to returning.
"If there's a 'ghost of Felix Leiter' moment, I'll certainly consider doing that", he revealed.
"But at the same time, I had a great run on those films, together with Daniel (Craig), Barbara Broccoli and Michael Wilson, and I'm very happy to let that be.
"I'd never expected to be a part of that franchise. I was an enormous geeky fan of the Bond films as a kid, as many of us were. I'm completely satisfied with what we did there. I'm happy to move on and let someone else be part of it".
Bobby Ewing, anyone?
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Joe Emery
Joe is Editor of For Bond Fans Only and a writer by trade. When he's not watching Bond, he can be found listening to The Beatles and worrying about West Ham. You can find him on Twitter @joeemerywrites