Fire up the DB5, Bond could be licensed to thrill on Gravelly Hill

But what might Knight do now that the veteran producer Barbara Broccoli has gone and Amazon is in charge? Can we expect car chases through a dystopian Bullring or Bond calling Moneypenny “Bab”? In fact, a source has told Variety that Knight is likely to write an origin story, with an under-30 Bond being scouted: actors Tom Holland, Harris Dickinson and Jacob Elordi are thought to be ironing their trunks.

However, do we really need a new, youthful 007 when we could throw the old one into a franchise mashup in the tradition of Freddy vs Jason; Alien vs Predator; Godzilla vs Kong. I’m pushing for James Bond v Tommy Shelby, hero of Peaky Blinders – war veteran, leader of the backstreet razor gang, entrepreneur, bookmaker and a mighty MP – played by the great Cillian Murphy.

Here’s the sort of head-on collision we could expect in a battle of the one-liners.

 Introductions

Bond: “My name is Bond, James Bond.”

Shelby: “It’s just myself talking to myself about myself."

 Job spec

Bond: “Licence to Kill”

Shelby: “I’m not God, not yet.”

 Tipple

Bond: “Vodka martini, shaken, not stirred.”

The mostly sober Shelby: “Whisky is fuel for the loud engines inside your head.”

 Women

[“You know much about guns, Mr Bond?”] Bond: “No, but I know a little about women.”

Shelby: “Fast women and slow horses will ruin your life.”

 Style

Bond: “I know a good tailor.”

Shelby: “My suits are on the house... or the house burns down.”

 Body count

Bond: “When I kill, it’s on the orders of my government. And those I kill are themselves killers.”

Shelby: “Sometimes, killing is a kindness.”

He’s definitely not talking about the Bond franchise.