Bond 25has hit a major road block.Months before filmingwas about to begin, and after a lengthy search to find the right director, filmmakerDanny Boylehas now exited the director’s chair, leavingBond 25in a bit of a pickle. The announcement was made by longtime producersBarbara Broccoli,Michael G. Wilson, and producer/starDaniel Craig, explaining that “due to creative differences, Danny Boyle has decided to no longer directBond 25.” Note that they put the onus on Boyle, as it appears it was his decision to walk away.
Boyle directingBond 25was always a risky prospect. Broccoli and Wilson had been developing a script by veteranBondscreenwritersNeal PurvisandRobert Wade(Spectre,Casino Royale,Skyfall) andYann Demange(’71) surfaced as the top choice to take the helm. But then Boyle and hisTrainspottingwriterJohn Hodgepitched a new take on aBondfilmto the producers, Hodge wrote a screenplay, and suddenly the Purvis/Wade script was set aside to make way for Danny Boyle’s Bond.
Boyle was a mighty exciting choice. He won the Best Director Oscar forSlumdog Millionaire, and even when his films don’t entirely work likeTrance, they’re always interesting. Moreover, he was coming off the excitingSteve JobsandT2: Trainspotting, so Boyle seemed fired up. He’s currently in post-production on a Working Title musical that he shot this summer, so at least there’s something coming down the pike.
So what happens now withBond 25? There’s no official word, but I wouldn’t be surprised if Broccoli and Wilson simply return to the Purvis and Wade script and set more of a journeyman filmmaker to take the helm. Demange is currently directing theJordan Peele-producedLovecraft CountryHBO series, so he may be unavailable. Other names on the producers’ shortlist forBond 25wereDenis Villeneuve, who is currently preparing to start shootingDunewithTimothee Chalametnext year, andHell or High WaterfilmmakerDavid Mackenzie, who’s about to release his Netflix filmOutlaw King.
Bond 25had been set for release on July 11, 2025, but unless the producers already have a new filmmaker in their back pocket, hitting that date seems unlikely. This is very unfortunate news—I wasreallylooking forward to seeing Boyle’s Bond. But it’ll be interesting to see who now steps in to direct what is likely Craig’s final go-around with the character. Stay tuned…
