7 Essential Facts About the Next James Bond Release, Including Two-Word Title

This September, Charlie Higson will unleash King Zero - a new novel starring James Bond, rebooting the franchise into a new modern continuity. Here are the key details we know for sure.

It's Set in the Present, With Modern Threats

Ian Fleming's superspy debuted in print in 1953, but follow-up stories and a slew of adaptations have reinvented him for every era since, from Sean Connery's Cold War 007 to Daniel Craig's post-9/11 spy.

Higson's novel will once again update Bond to star in the modern day, with Ianfleming.com stating that "Higson explores themes of power, technology, and international tensions over resources in an extraordinarily timely story.

King Zero will see Bond pursuing a mysterious new weapon across the planet following the murder of an agent in Saudi Arabia, seemingly at the hands of a traitor within MI6. The book's summary teases that "the world is changing," and that 007 may not be ready for a new era of villainy.

James Bond Is 35 Years Old, With Some Major Changes

As in Fleming's novel, Higson has stated his intent to keep Bond hovering around thirty-five years old. However, by setting the story in contemporary times, Bond loses some of his context and backstory as a secret agent shaped by the fallout of WWII.

Speaking at a celebration of '70 Years of 007' hosted by Ian Fleming Publications, Higson explains that the meaning of Bond's age has fundamentally changed over time. While Fleming's original character was inspired by real-life intelligence operatives who had lost their innocence to war, Higson states that in 2026:

Young men have different attitudes, have a different view of the world, they've been through different things. So I had to make my Bond work with that, but still be recognizably, at his core, Fleming's Bond. He's a loner, he's tough, he's resourceful, he's relentless.

Higson has stated the latest 007 rebirth will include updating Bond's attitude to women, and that he has made an attempt to "channel what Bond is but take out the aspects which really don't sit happily with anybody these days."

Sadly, the contemporary setting and Bond's age mean that Higson's celebrated Young Bond novels won't be considered canon, though they'll likely still influence the narrative due to the fact that...

The New Continuity Isn't Starting Fresh, Combining Book and Movie Canon

While King Zero is the latest in a long legacy of Bond novels, Higson has admitted that most fans know the character from his cinematic outings.

His rebooted continuity will therefore embrace a combination of book and movie history, depicting a version of the character whose backstory isn't exactly as you remember it, but still covers the essentials. Higson promises that the novel "embraces the worlds of both the literary Bond and the cinematic Bond..."

The book's summary also starts off by stating "Le Chiffre. Dr No. Goldfinger. James Bond has faced them all", confirming that unlike Daniel Craig's cinematic era, the new novel Bond won't be starting his career fresh, and many of his most iconic adventures have already happened in this new canon.​​

Globetrotting Is a Major Focus, With Specific Locations Named

Fantastic locations are a big part of the James Bond brand, and Higson plans to live up to this. In an exclusive interview with ViewsFromMark, Higson confirms the book will be split into three sections, each marked by a unique location:

• Saudi Arabia - Where an MI6 agent is betrayed and killed, beginning Bond's hunt for a mysterious new weapon.
• The Maldives - Where Bond will contend with the sharks on King Zero's cover
• The Forests of the Congo - Where Bond will face off against King Zero and his mysterious organization.

While little is known about King Zero as a villain, Ian Fleming Publishing states that Bond will contend with a "terrifying new order" emerging from the ruins of the old world, suggesting his foe has international reach.

He'll Face New Villain King Zero

Little is known about King Zero so far, other than that he's a powerful operator with a shadowy organization backing his plays. Higson has boasted that "my bad guy has all the elements we expect from a classic Bond villain, with a twist that’s not been done before."

One element of speculation among fans is that King Zero's codename refers to Binary, and that he may be some kind of tech mogul. In binary, '0' represents both a lack of electrical current and a 'false' response. With the new book promising that King Zero is fomenting a "global catastrophe," it's not beyond the bounds of possibility that he may be planning to shut down electronics worldwide - his name indicating his intent to rule over a world without modern technology.

It's clear that everyone involved in King Zero has immense faith in the villain, to the extent of naming the book after him, with Ian Fleming Publishing branding him "the most distinctive [Bond villain] since Goldfinger."

There's a Secondary, Oddjob-Style Antagonist

While King Zero is the major antagonist of the novel, Higson has also teased another antagonist along the lines of Oddjob and Jaws. While little is known, early press releases saw Higson state:

Everything you want from a Bond story is in there - sex, violence, cars, a colorful villain with a nasty henchman, and of course, Bond himself. So well-known and yet so unknowable.

Since that statement, Higson has been close-mouthed about the henchman character, but fans know they're on their way. Indeed, they may be more vital than ever if a bizarre theory is accurate...

There's a Major Twist Coming

As stated above, Higson has promised "a twist that's not been done before," and King Zero's name offers up two tempting possibilities. First, could King Zero be an AI?

Ian Fleming Publishing has emphasized that this new era of Bond will be incredibly contemporary, and with machine learning constantly in the headlines and the binary-themed villain name, it would be a significant twist to see Bond contend with some kind of algorithmic foe. Such a villain would also need a capable henchman to enact its will in the physical world.

Another possibility is that King Zero could be a reborn Dr. No. This speculation is prompted by the similarity of their names - an honorific followed by a synonym for 'nothing.'

Indeed, the book's summary starts off by naming past foes of Bond's, even namechecking Dr. No. In a rebooted canon where history is elastic, could Higson use this opportunity to bring back one of Bond's most iconic foes under a new name? Or could this be a new person with links to Dr. No, taking up his legacy?

Whatever the truth, fans will find out as King Zero unleashes a new James Bond on the modern day, with 007 contending with a major new villain in a story set to combine everything great about the franchise.

James Bond: King Zero is coming 24 September from Penguin Michael Joseph.