In a recent interview with The Sun, Steven Knight joked (or perhaps not?) that he’s tempted to set the next Bond movie in Birmingham, United Kingdom, taking a page from his renowned Peaky Blinders series. I’m inclined to defer to Knight on the idea because of his stellar track record, but I’m still going to give my two cents because, well, I’m a Bond fan and I love this stuff. I actually don’t hate the idea, and while I’m not entirely convinced of a modern-day Birmingham setting, Knight’s familiarity with the city could make it surprisingly compelling. Given his Peaky Blinders pedigree, I’d be even more intrigued if he were hinting at a period setting in the 1920s or 1930s, which would obviously give Bond 26 a completely different flavor.

But Birmingham also got me thinking that Bond doesn’t necessarily need another exotic destination, because a seemingly mundane location such as a naval base, government facility or obscure black site could make for an interesting change of scenery. From an American perspective, Naval Base San Diego could provide plenty of military intrigue in concert with a British naval commander, while somewhere like Sofia, Bulgaria could offer an Eastern European setting that feels less exotic but overall unfamiliar.

Maybe Steven Knight is onto something here and perhaps the real trick for Bond 26 isn’t finding the most exotic location, but finding an ordinary place where 007 will no doubt make things considerably less ordinary.