Spectre, the most recent film in the James Bond franchise, was released on November 6, 2015. It's now February 20, 2018, and we're no closer to the 25th Bond film than we were on November 7, 2015. Okay, maybe that's a bit of an exaggeration, but things on the Bond front have been extraordinarily slow. It took Daniel Craig a long time to agree to take on the role for a fifth and presumably final time- he famously declared that he would never come back, which he later blamed on exhaustion after the making of Spectre. There was also the matter of distribution, as Eon Productions and MGM began looking for a new studio partner after their contract with Sony expired. They've seemingly settled on Annapurna Pictures, but again, that has yet to be confirmed by anyone involved. The still-untitled Bond 25 is set to debut on November 8, 2019, but will the producers actually be able to meet that date? These films are a massive undertaking, and besides, November 2019 is already looking mighty crowded- Wonder Woman 2, Death on the Nile, and Frozen 2 are all set to debut during the month.
Normally, the extremely sluggish production timetable would be getting on my nerves, especially since the Bond franchise has a history of releasing an installment every other year. But honestly, maybe this is for the best. Four years passed between Quantum of Solace and Skyfall, and that gap resulted in one of the greatest Bond films ever made, if not the absolute best. So maybe having to wait four or five years for Craig's final ride isn't such a bad thing? Anyways, let's get to why you're here- the big news of the day. After toying with the internet some more, Variety's Justin Kroll revealed that Slumdog Millionaire director Danny Boyle is at the top of MGM's list for Bond 25. This comes after most of the buzz was focused on White Boy Rick's Yann Demange, Hell or High Water's David Mackenzie, and Blade Runner 2049's Denis Villeneuve, but none of those deals came to fruition. After Sam Mendes opted not to return after earning praise for Skyfall and Spectre, the hunt for a new director has been one of the most crucial challenges of this installment. Per Kroll, Boyle has "keen interest" in the project, though he's working on a completely different project for Working Title at the moment. While Kroll notes that it could definitely be pushed back, The Tracking Board's Jeff Sneider paints a different picture of Boyle's Bond interest. In his breakdown of the report, he cites an interview that Boyle did with Collider, where he seems to have little desire to step behind the camera for an adventure with the superspy.
So will Boyle end up taking on this monumental task? Or will he be added to the growing list of directors that just didn't pan out for Bond 25? Obviously I don't have the answer to this, but Boyle certainly would be a fascinating choice. I can't say that I'm the biggest fan of the director- I like the Trainspotting movies well enough, but I'm not big on Slumdog Millionaire or 28 Days Later. In fact, I regard my favorite Boyle movie, Steve Jobs, as more of a screenwriting achievement than anything else. But while I'm evidently a little hesitant, I also wasn't a huge Sam Mendes fan before he boarded Skyfall. We'll see where this goes, and hopefully we hear more Bond 25 news in the near future.
As of this moment, Bond 25 is still scheduled for a November 8, 2019 release date.
Images: IMDB/Universal/Sony
Normally, the extremely sluggish production timetable would be getting on my nerves, especially since the Bond franchise has a history of releasing an installment every other year. But honestly, maybe this is for the best. Four years passed between Quantum of Solace and Skyfall, and that gap resulted in one of the greatest Bond films ever made, if not the absolute best. So maybe having to wait four or five years for Craig's final ride isn't such a bad thing? Anyways, let's get to why you're here- the big news of the day. After toying with the internet some more, Variety's Justin Kroll revealed that Slumdog Millionaire director Danny Boyle is at the top of MGM's list for Bond 25. This comes after most of the buzz was focused on White Boy Rick's Yann Demange, Hell or High Water's David Mackenzie, and Blade Runner 2049's Denis Villeneuve, but none of those deals came to fruition. After Sam Mendes opted not to return after earning praise for Skyfall and Spectre, the hunt for a new director has been one of the most crucial challenges of this installment. Per Kroll, Boyle has "keen interest" in the project, though he's working on a completely different project for Working Title at the moment. While Kroll notes that it could definitely be pushed back, The Tracking Board's Jeff Sneider paints a different picture of Boyle's Bond interest. In his breakdown of the report, he cites an interview that Boyle did with Collider, where he seems to have little desire to step behind the camera for an adventure with the superspy.
So will Boyle end up taking on this monumental task? Or will he be added to the growing list of directors that just didn't pan out for Bond 25? Obviously I don't have the answer to this, but Boyle certainly would be a fascinating choice. I can't say that I'm the biggest fan of the director- I like the Trainspotting movies well enough, but I'm not big on Slumdog Millionaire or 28 Days Later. In fact, I regard my favorite Boyle movie, Steve Jobs, as more of a screenwriting achievement than anything else. But while I'm evidently a little hesitant, I also wasn't a huge Sam Mendes fan before he boarded Skyfall. We'll see where this goes, and hopefully we hear more Bond 25 news in the near future.
As of this moment, Bond 25 is still scheduled for a November 8, 2019 release date.
Images: IMDB/Universal/Sony
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