Bond 25 is still very much well over a year away from hitting theaters, but with shooting presumably getting ready to begin, we now have official word as to who will be joining Daniel Craig for one more adventure. While I personally believe that Craig is the best Bond we’ve ever seen, the idea of bringing him back for one final time after Spectre and his comments was sour to me, until they announced Cary Fukunaga as the director. I instantly became excited, which has been turned up a few notches thanks to today’s news of those who will be surrounding Craig.

When it comes to the James Bond franchise, we typically don’t see a “sequel trend” where actors and actresses return for follow-up movies. That’s where this incarnation of the character has differed, as multiple names have reappeared through entries, which is continuing with Fukunaga’s film. Fukunaga himself has revealed that Ralph Fiennes, Naomie Harris, Ben Whishaw and Shockley Léa Seydoux will be reprising their roles in the untitled film. The former three aren’t much of a surprise, but Seydoux is. As far as I can remember, she will be the only “Bond girl” to return for a role. It only adds to the series as Craig’s movies have been one big storyline from the very beginning. And from my perspective, if you’re going to bring back any Bond girl, Seydoux’s Madeleine Swann is easily the one to keep.

Bringing back the supporting characters makes sense. Fiennes is now playing the role of M after Judi Dench’s character passed in Skyfall, Whishaw’s Q is a fantastic young engineer / inventor who supplies Bond with a plethora of fancy gadgets, and my favorite, Harris’ Moneypenny has been a great counter to Bond. While I wasn’t a fan of the way she was used in the most recent movie, her character has been a great addition since she was added in Skyfall. Other than Craig, she is my favorite. I hope Fukunaga gives her more to do and puts her in the field, something that was just lightly touched on but never fully activated.

With Fukunaga, the guy is a creative genius. What he has done with every one of his projects is not to be looked over. He obviously is most remember for True Detective, but has since then developed some fantastic projects. With this kind of director behind the camera, I truly hope the studio keeps hands off as much as they can and lets him create without a ceiling. While “creative differences” is exactly why Danny Boyle left the project, Fukunaga may have stepped in with a direction that the studio loves so much that they just let him be. He is one of the few director’s working right now that I can say takes projects to places only a few can. Hey, a guy can dream right?

It’s also worth noting that Fukunaga has worked with some incredible actors and actresses over the years. With just a small piece of the casting puzzle finished, we could possibly see some very strong names added because of Fukunaga’s relationships. Matthew McConaughey, Emma Stone, Idris Elba? I know we all want to see Elba as Bond, but maybe this is his shot at having a part of the franchise? In other words, Fukunaga is a positive piece of the puzzle in every which way.

What do you think of this news readers? Do you like that the supporting cast is returning, specifically Seydoux? Who from Fukunaga’s previous work would you want to see in the movie? Are you even looking forward to Craig’s final time as the character? Let me know all your thoughts in the comments below! Fukunaga’s Bond 25 is slated for a February 14th, 2020 release date.