When Hitman developer IO Interactive’s James Bond game (working title Project 007) hits the scene, it will do so with an entirely new James Bond, studio head Hakan Abrak told the Danish Broadcasting Corporation (h/t TheGamer).
Project 007 will follow James Bond in his early days as a British Secret Service agent, portraying the events that led to him earning the iconic 007 code name. This “wholly original” origin story sets the game apart from Bond’s most famous portrayals on the silver screen, wherein he’s already an established MI6 operative, so the development of a new leading man makes sense, especially when you factor in the franchise’s already-tenuous relationship with continuity.
James Bond first debuted on film in 1962’s Dr. No, portrayed by Sean Connery. Since then, several actors have taken up the mantle, including George Lazenby, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan, and most recently Daniel Craig. A popular theory for why the character has the potential to look so different from movie to movie is that “James Bond,” like 007 itself, is a codename, utilized by various agents throughout history, which may or may not jive with the upcoming game.
In any case, IO Interactive obviously has high hopes for Project 007. The studio opened a second office in Malmö, Sweden last year and is reportedly doubling its overall staff from 200 to a workforce of over 400. Abrak also indicated that IO might already be laying the groundwork for a James Bond trilogy now that Hitman’s “World of Assassination” trilogy has finished. But as the first game is still a ways off, any future plans remain to be seen.