It has been an unusually long wait – one presumably stretched out further by the baton-passing of creative control from long time Bond-stewarding siblings Barbara Broccoli and Michael G Wilson to MGM and its parent company, Amazon – though perhaps it is not an entirely unwelcome one. Because the “search for the next Bond” is as crucial a part of the franchise as martinis, femme fatales and product placement; a vital act of self-promotion that keeps Bond in the headlines even when no film is forthcoming.