Update: Danny Boyle may direct Bond 25 later this year.

It looks like the search for the director of James Bond 25 continues, as Danny Boyle just signed on for another project. While the last Bond movie Spectre was a hit, it received mostly lukewarm reviews from critics and fans. The movie also ended on a note suggesting it could be Daniel Craig’s swansong as the character, and the actor refused to commit to another movie for a long time. He eventually signed on, stating the next movie would be his final time playing Bond, and he wanted to go out strong.

James Bond 25 appears to be having trouble attracting a director however. Having directed the previous two adventures, Sam Mendes categorically ruled out returning once again. Lifelong Bond fan Christopher Nolan recently ruled himself out, and while Denis Villeneuve (Blade Runner 2049) was briefly tipped, he’s too busy with other projects. The most recent name thrown into the ring was Danny Boyle, and there was even a report he was developing a new script for the movie with writer John Hodge.

It appears that won’t happen now, with THR reporting that Boyle has opted to work on a comedy film with Richard Curtis (Love Actually) next. The untitled film is said to be a musical set in either the 1960s or 1970s, and Universal would like it to start shooting by summer 2018. While this doesn’t necessarily rule out Boyle as director, it means James Bond 25 would presumably have to be delayed from its planned November 2019 release date to accommodate him.

While Mendes ruled himself out of directing another Bond following Skyfall as he wanted time to work on other projects first, the producers waited for him to become available for Spectre, so there’s a possibility the film may wait for Boyle too. Spectre suffered from a rushed production - it was shot and released in less than a year - and with Craig’s commitment to making his last Bond film a great one, he would likely be in favor of the production taking its time to properly develop a script.

That said, maybe Boyle simply decided he didn’t need the pressure of handling such a major production and opted for the other project instead. That means the search for a James Bond 25 director isn’t over yet, and that the producers will need to lock someone other than Boyle down soon - if they wish to make their intended release date.

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Source: THR

  • Bond 25 Release Date: 2021-10-08