James Bond Franchise Replaces 007 In New October 22 Release

Published Oct 19, 2026, 12:20 PM EDT

Nicholas Becher is a gaming journalist with an MFA in Creative Writing from FAU. With extensive experience playing video games, he covers all forms of gaming content at Screen Rant, from breaking news to the latest fan theories. Most-played games range from Clair Obscur to Civ to Elden Ring to Halo 2 and beyond. 

James Bond fans have an exciting new era to look forward to, though they'll be waiting quite some time before it arrives. Five years after Daniel Craig's final appearance in No Time to Die, Amazon MGM Studios is preparing to introduce a new 007, with Dune director Denis Villeneuve set to helm the next film and Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight penning the screenplay.

The biggest mystery, of course, is who will step into Bond's shoes, with fans eagerly awaiting an official casting announcement. Fortunately, the franchise isn't leaving fans entirely empty-handed in the meantime, with a new release arriving October 22 that will once again move beyond Bond himself, replacing the iconic secret agent with a long-standing ally and fan-favorite character.

Better yet, this isn't a one-off, but a sequel that continues a unique branch of the James Bond universe, with Q taking center stage in an adventure unlike anything fans have seen on the big screen (via Ian Fleming).

Image via Everett Collection

James Bond may be the face of the 007 franchise, but The Man with the Golden Compass is an upcoming release that shifts the focus to a different beloved character in Ian Fleming's universe. Vaseem Khan's upcoming mystery puts Major Boothroyd (better known as Q) in the spotlight, investigating his own mysteries in the English countryside. It's the second installment in the official Q Mysteries series, which essentially gives Q a new career as an amateur detective.

The first book in the series, Quantum of Menace, launched back in October 2025 and is described as a "cosy-crime adventure." The book follows up on Q's unexpected dismissal from MI6, where he returns to Wickstone-on-Water and learns that his childhood friend, quantum computer scientist Peter Napier, died under some suspicious circumstances. The novel blended Bond-style intrigue with a small-town whodunit and was even named The Sunday Times' Thriller of the Month.

The Man with the Golden Compass sequel picks up after Q solves that first case, with the local police now recruiting him as a civilian contractor. The official synopsis reads:

"The new mystery features the former head of MI6's Q Branch, Major Boothroyd in his hometown of Wickstone-on-Water. Fresh from successfully reinvestigating his childhood friend's mysterious death, Q is hired as a civilian contractor by the police in his sleepy hometown to look into the unsolved murder of tech millionaire turned online antique dealer, Laurence Noble. Six months ago, Noble was tortured and killed, a circular object made of gold and inscribed with mysterious runes found in his pocket. As Q investigates, he finds himself dragged into a chilling conspiracy where past and present meet in a way he could not possibly have imagined."

While the golden object and mysterious inscriptions suggest another puzzle tailor-made for Q's scientific mind, the brutal murder sounds like things could take a darker turn for this new release, though the sequel is still marketed as a cozy mystery. Much like the first entry, its title also offers a playful nod to Ian Fleming's The Man with the Golden Gun, even though Bond himself is no longer the main character.

Aside from Q's adventures, Khan is well-known for his work on the Baby Ganesh Agency novels set in modern Mumbai and the Malabar House historical crime series. The latter's first installment, Midnight at Malabar House, won the Crime Writers' Association's Historical Dagger in 2021. Khan also served as chair of the organization from 2023 to 2025, bringing considerable crime-fiction experience to the Bond universe.

You can pre-order The Man with the Golden Compass on Amazon here.

The Man with the Golden Compass will release in the UK on October 22, 2026, through Zaffre, a Bonnier Books imprint. The 352-page hardcover is priced at £20 (or $28 USD), available to pre-order through the Ian Fleming Shop and at the Amazon link above. Audiobook and e-book editions are also planned, while select independent bookstores are offering collectible hardcovers with sprayed edges.

For James Bond fans, The Man with the Golden Compass is another chance to revisit the franchise from the perspective of someone who once helped 007 save the world, and will be a great way to kill some time as we wait for an update on the next mainline movie.