After announcing the release date of Bond 25 (November 8, 2019) and securing the commitment of Daniel Craig, the James Bond franchise must now choose the director of the next episode.
To succeed Sam Mendes, EON Productions and MGM Inc have taken an interest in several directors. Various names have emerged but now, according to Variety, their choice would lean towards Danny Boyle, the Oscar-winning director of Slumdog Millionaire. However, this decision did not seem obvious at first glance.
A series of directors
Denis Villeneuve (Blade Runner 2049) was the first director to catch the attention of the franchise. However, already engaged in his new project Dune, the latter had to refuse the offer.
That's when Christopher Nolan comes in. The director of Dunkirk has indeed expressed his interest in the character of James Bond. Nevertheless, he does not want to shoot a future episode of the saga.
Before the announcement of Variety, it was the French Yann Demange ('71) the most approached to direct Bond 25. However, MGM seemed to want a more famous director to shoot this 25thepisode of the adventures of the spy in the tuxedo. Danny Boyle could be the one selected.
The ideal candidate?
With 28 films and series to his credit, Danny Boyle has already had the opportunity to film the famous British spy. He had indeed directed the sketch with James Bond and the Queen of England for the opening of the London Olympic Games in 2012. In addition, he had already been mentioned to be at the controls of Skyfall and Spectre.
Nevertheless, Danny Boyle can still refuse MGM's offer. The director is currently developing a film for Working Title and is preparing to unveil, next month, his new series Trust, centered on the kidnapping of John Paul Getty III. Finally, Danny Boyle has no experience in franchises, T2 Trainspotting being his only sequel. When Fox had offered him to shoot the 4thepisode of Alien, he had disengaged at the last moment.
It is under the constraint of urgency that EON and MGM must make their choice regarding the realization of the new James Bond. The more time passes, the more likely Danny Boyle is to turn down the offer to devote himself to his personal projects. What will it be?
