With no indication as to when the next James Bond film will arrive, as Amazon Prime Video, the new owners of the intellectual property, continue to bicker with the franchise producer Barbara Broccoli, I figured I’d take a shot at writing the next chapter myself. And honestly, any similarity to real world people is purely coincidental. 

Title: Bond 26 – Selene Ascending 

Outline:
Set in the year 2030, the world is at the dawn of interplanetary expansion, led by tech tycoons who promise a new golden age. Among them is Elias Mercer (E.M.), a magnetic and controversial white Zimbabwean billionaire who has made Erebus Industries the leader in space exploration. While the world sees him as a visionary, Mercer harbors an audacious and dangerous plan: to control humanity’s future in space, starting with the Moon, Mars, and the wealth of the asteroid belt.

James Bond, a rugged, black, 30-something ex-Special Forces operative from a northern working-class English background, (think the Napoleonic character Richard Sharp in a tux), is recruited by MI6 for his unorthodox skills and adaptability. Bond’s charm, wit, and no-nonsense demeanor make him a refreshing and formidable 00 agent.

Act 1: A New Frontier
The film begins with Bond infiltrating a high-tech heist at a cutting-edge mining facility in Cornwall, England, where Erebus Industries agents steal classified plans for a new propulsion technology. Bond manages to retrieve part of the data, revealing that Mercer’s true target is Asteroid 16 Psyche, a metallic asteroid worth trillions of dollars in rare metals. Capturing it would make Mercer unimaginably rich and provide the raw materials to revolutionize space-based manufacturing, giving him complete dominance over off-world technology.

MI6 assigns Bond to investigate Mercer, whose Selene Station, an orbital base around the Moon, is central to his plans. Selene serves as a launch post for Mars missions and the construction site for massive interplanetary spacecraft.

Bond travels to Cairo, Egypt, to meet Dr. Yasmine Naim, a brilliant Egyptian astrophysicist who once worked on Mercer’s asteroid capture project, but left due to his ruthless methods. Yasmine, fiercely intelligent and driven, is initially reluctant to help, fearing Mercer’s reach and influence. Bond’s grit and sincerity earn her trust, and she provides vital intel: Mercer plans to use Selene Station to help reroute 16 Psyche’s orbit into lunar proximity, where he can mine it directly.

Act 2: The High-Stakes Chase
Bond and Yasmine travel to a secret Erebus facility in Tanzania, where Mercer’s team is developing the technology needed to capture and redirect 16 Psyche. In a high-octane sequence, Bond disrupts a test of the asteroid’s propulsion system, escaping with evidence that Mercer’s operation risks catastrophic orbital instability for Earth and the Moon.

As they evade Mercer’s relentless enforcers, Yasmine explains the stakes: capturing 16 Psyche could lead to breakthroughs in space-based manufacturing, such as constructing spacecraft in zero gravity, shielding from deadly solar radiation, and limitless clean energy. However, Mercer’s monopolization of such resources would give him the power to dictate humanity’s entire future in space.

The duo infiltrates Selene Station, smuggling aboard one of Mercer’s supply rockets. The station is a marvel of engineering, with enormous Mars-bound spacecraft under construction and a control hub for 16 Psyche’s propulsion.

Act 3: Battle for the Stars
On Selene Station, Bond and Yasmine uncover Mercer’s endgame: to redirect 16 Psyche into lunar orbit and use its wealth to cement his control over the space economy. However, the asteroid’s trajectory risks destabilizing the Moon’s orbit, triggering devastating tidal effects on Earth.

In a tense showdown, Bond and Yasmine sabotage Selene’s guidance systems. Bond engages Mercer in a brutal zero-gravity fight within the station’s command module. Mercer, armed with a powered exosuit designed for lunar construction, proves a formidable opponent, but Bond’s tactical ingenuity prevails.

Meanwhile, Yasmine uses her expertise to override the station’s systems, sending 16 Psyche back into its original orbit. However, Mercer initiates a self-destruct protocol, planning to take Bond, Yasmine, and hundreds of workers with him. In a desperate race against time, Bond and Yasmine escape in a lunar shuttle, watching as Selene Station is consumed in a fiery explosion.

Epilogue
Back on Earth, Mercer’s empire collapses as his plans are exposed. Bond and Yasmine part ways, her returning to her research, inspired to use her knowledge for the betterment of humanity. Bond returns to MI6, his northern grit and sharp wit ready for whatever challenge lies ahead.

The final scene shows Bond standing on a windswept moor in northern England, a man of Earth prepared to defend it, even among the stars.