Despite the fact that Danny Boyle dropped out of the director’s chair over “creative differences,” MGM and Eon are still eyeing aFall 2019 release dateforBond 25, which meanssomebodyis going to have to direct this thing. According toVariety, the studio has been hard at work setting meetings with possible Boyle replacements, with three names emerging as frontrunners for the position:American AnimalsdirectorBart Layton,Star Trek 4helmerS.J. Clarkson, andYann Demange, whose crack-cocaine noirWhite Boy Rickopened to serious critical buzz at the Telluride Film Festival. Reports stress that more meetings can and probably will happen, and it’s also worth noting that Deadline claimed last week thatapproaches were madetowardBaby DriverdirectorEdgar WrightandSharp ObjectsfilmmakerJean-Marc Vallée.
These are definitely some intriguing names being bandied about. When Clarkson nabbed theStar Trek 4job back in April, the filmmaker became the first woman to sit in the director’s seat for the galaxy-hopping franchise. Should she also land theBond 25role, Clarkson would make the same historic move for the spy franchise, which might also help quell some of the questions surrounding James Bond’s place in 2018. Clarkson is a veteran of the small-screen, helping to build Netflix’s Marvel Universe by directing multiple episodes ofJessica JonesandThe Defenders.
Demange, on the other hand, has been a top choice to directBond 25since before Boyle signed on to the project. Variety reports that MGM and Eon officials have set a screening ofWhite Boy Rick—the director’s second feature after 2014’s ‘71—while Demange himself stays busy working on HBO’sLovecraft Country.
Meanwhile, Bond himself,Daniel Craig, is keeping his options wide open. The actor recentlysigned on to starinThe Last JedidirectorRian Johnson’s next film, a murder mystery titledKnives Out.
