James Bond is always planning for his next mission. Even if you think things have gone quiet at MI6, you can rest assured that 007 is not exactly sitting around polishing the Aston Martin in the meantime. Although he probably does enjoy doing that of an evening, but we digress. Bond might be having a busy spell right now, but his next story is about to take flight.
The next James Bond novel has officially been titled King Zero, with the book set to be released on September 24, 2026. The new novel comes from Charlie Higson, who previously wrote entries in the Young Bond series and has now written his first full-length adult James Bond book for Ian Fleming Publications. Pre-orders are now live. The official synopsis teases a new mission that begins with a murdered agent in the Saudi desert and sends Bond chasing a secret dangerous enough to kill for. It reads:
“Le Chiffre. Dr No. Goldfinger. James Bond has faced them all. But now the world is changing, and even 007 has no idea what’s coming for him… It starts with a murdered agent in the Saudi desert. Only a traitor could have known enough to bring him down. But even James Bond can’t guess at the secret that was worth killing him to keep. As Bond follows the trail across the globe, he doesn’t realize the countdown has already begun. And hiding in the shadows is a man with more power than he could ever have imagined. Prepare for a villain unlike any before. Prepare for KING ZERO.”
Speaking at the book’s launch event, Higson said, “It’s very exciting. It is very hard to get people excited about books, so when the publisher goes to this level of effort, it says a lot. There I finally am after over 20 years of toiling in the world of writing James Bond! My first big, full-length Bond novel is coming out, and it’s really exciting to be part of the world of James Bond. It’s something special.”
Will There Be a New James Bond Movie?
The new book arrives as the film side of the franchise continues to take shape. Bond 26 is expected to reboot the series after Daniel Craig (Casino Royale) ended his run with No Time to Die. Denis Villeneuve (Dune) has been reported as director, with Steven Knight (Peaky Blinders) writing the script, though no actor has officially been announced as the next 007.
The James Bond film franchise has previously starred Sean Connery (Dr. No), George Lazenby (On Her Majesty’s Secret Service), Roger Moore (The Spy Who Loved Me), Timothy Dalton (The Living Daylights), Pierce Brosnan (GoldenEye), and Craig as the iconic spy.
King Zero will be released on September 24, 2026. Bond 26 does not yet have a release date.
via Collider