Image for the official James Bond feed on Twitter

Spoiler for No Time to Die

At a recent event sponsored by the Deadline entertainment news site, Eon Productions boss Barbara Broccoli said Eon has yet to figure out how James Bond will return after the events of No Time to Die.

By the end of the 25th Bond film, Bond has been blown to smithereens and other characters are in mourning. Yet, in the end titles, it says "James Bond Will Return."

"We'll figure that one out, but he will be back," Broccoli said. "You can rest assured James Bond will be back."

Naturally, the blog has questions.

Another reboot?

This would be the easiest route. With 2006's Casino Royale, Eon started things over. Eon finally had its hands on the rights to Ian Fleming's first Bond novel. So one continuity ended after Eon dismissed Pierce Brosnan, another began after it brought on Daniel Craig.

Having multiple continuities is not unprecedented. Look at Warner Bros. and its various Batman movies.

Four movies from 1989 through 1997 were one continuity (multiple actors played Batman but all four had the same actors as Alfred the butler and Commissioner Gordon). Films from 2005 through 2012 were another continuity. And various films with Ben Affleck as Batman comprise yet another continuity. Now, yet another continuity is in works with Robert Pattinson as Batman.

If you're a fan of Daniel Craig's Bond films, you can't complain about reboots. Yes, Eon fudged things at times, primarily with the Aston Martin DB5. But a new reboot may be the way to go.

What about the "code name theory"?

That would be another way to go.

For the uninitiated, the "code name theory" is a way of explaining all the different actors who've played Bond in the Eon series. Under this scenario, "James Bond" is a code name assigned to different people.

Screenwriters Neal Purvis and Robert Wade have said there's only one Bond, just played by different actors. Besides, 007 is Bond's code number. Why does he need a code name on top of that?

Nevertheless the "code name theory" refuses to die. It traces its origins to the development of the 1967 Casino Royale spoof produced by Charles K. Feldman. The original James Bond (David Niven) orders all British agents to be named "James Bond" to confuse enemies. This notion may be the 1967 movie's legacy.

You're not serious, are you?

To be clear, I am NOT advocating for it. However, "code name theory" would be one way to retain Ralph Fiennes as M, Naomie Harris as Moneypenny, Ben Whishaw as Q and Rory Kinnear as Tanner.

What would be the drawbacks?

A new Bond actor would be burdened by the Craig continuity. Remember, Craig's Bond was burned out from Skyfall on. Personally, I would start fresh with a reboot. You DO NOT have to another Bond origin story. Just introduce your new Bond and go from there.

Sean Connery's Bond never had an origin story. That worked out pretty well.