I can’t be the only one who’s wondering about the fate of the Bond franchise and about who will direct the latest installment in the rebooted era? Even though a list of several renowned filmmakers floated around the web, it’s been widely reported that Sam Mendes has entered final negotiations to helm Bond 24, which could be considered a safe bet, since Mendes delivered Skyfall — one of the most commercially successful Bond movies ever. It also had a killer theme song by Adele, so there’s that, too.
But wait, there’s more! Apparently, EON Productions and Sony are currently attempting to convince Mendes to take on Bond 25 as well. While it’s not a bad idea, one should remember the British director has other ongoing endeavors as well — he’s currently working on stage productions of King Lear and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, which he said would require his utmost attention for the next couple of years.
Should he agree to direct Bond 24 AND 25, he’d probably have to put all those projects on hold, or cancel them altogether. It would definitely be an easy choice for most people, but not for Mendes. He’s also slated do serve as executive producer on the Penny Dreadful TV series he’s developing with John Logan, who co-wrote Skyfall.
Honestly, I’ll be glad if he directs another Bond film, but I was actually rooting for Nicolas Winding Refn to get the job. If you paid close attention, I bet you could spot a glimmer of hope in his eyes as he briefly discussed the prospect of directing Bond 24 at Cannes. Should Mendes decide his schedule won’t allow him to helm the project, EON Productions will be forced to hire the Danish filmmaker, or maybe Christopher Nolan?
Are you glad Sam Mendes will (probably) be directing Bond 24? And, who do you think should helm Bond 25? Should it be Mendes himself? Let us know in the comments below.