As MGM and Annapurna Pictures move closer to pulling the trigger onJames Bond 25, the studios are switching up their plan of attack when it comes to finding a director. Last summer, the studios announced a November 2019 release date forBond 25, which started a ticking clock of sorts as they securedDaniel Craigto return, then turned their sights to finding a director. Last we heard,’71directorYann Demangewas the top choice to take the helm, but nowVarietyreports that Oscar-winningSlumdog MillionairefilmmakerDanny Boyleis high on MGM’s list to direct.
This is certainly a twist to the conversation, as most assumed Demange had been settled on as the man who’d bringBond 25to the big screen. But Variety says that since Annapurna Pictures won the distribution rights to theBondfranchise, there has been “one last push” to go after a more well-known name to take the helm. Indeed, the previous deal with Sony came to a conclusion withSpectre, and Annapurna landed the distribution rights after months of wooing the franchise’s producers.
Landing on Demange in the first place didn’t come easy.ArrivalandBlade Runner 2049filmmakerDenis Villeneuvewas very high on the listto take the helm, but having already committed toDuneas his next project, Villeneuve had to decline the offer (this time around at least—watch out for Villeneuve whenBond 26comes up).Christopher Nolanhas also been in the mixas a possibility, but the Oscar-nominatedDunkirkfilmmaker reaffirmed just this week that while he’s interested inBond, he’d ideally only direct when it comes time to reboot the franchise entirely.
Demange has heat on his next projectWhite Boy Rick, which is in the can, but Boyle would certainly be that high profile filmmaker Annapurna is looking for. He’s a tremendous visual stylist with a wonderful British flair, and just thinking about Boyle’s frequent cinematographerAnthony Dod Mantleshooting aBondmovie makes me incredibly excited. Boyle is coming off a pair of critically acclaimed but commercially stunted films in last year’s underrated sequelT2 Trainspottingand 2015’s terrificSteve Jobs, but after films like28 Days Later…andTranceit’s clear the guy certainly has a great action film in him, andBond 25would be a pretty great showcase.
Variety cautions that no offer has been made and a deal isn’t currently in the works, but Boyle has “keen interest” in the project and so a match could potentially make. We’ll have to see how all this plays out, but with the clock ticking on that release date, MGM is going to have to make a decision soon.
Most recently Boyle helmed episodes of the upcoming FX limited seriesTrust, which covers the same true story asRidley Scott’sAll the Money in the Worldand debuts next month. That’ll be an interesting press tour if MGM and Annapurna still haven’t announced a director by then.
