It is now official – Skyfall director Sam Mendes is returning to the land of 007 to direct the next James Bond film due out in the fall of 2015.
Mendes’ return to direct Bond again was rumored earlier in the year, then it was reported it wouldn’t happen and now finally it seems he’s definitely onboard.
It’s not really surprising that producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson were keen to get Mendes back. Skyfall was a hit critically and commercially. It made some very decent coin becoming the franchise’s highest-grossing film ever. I’m pretty sure that having that title means they adjusted for the inflation of ticket prices and Skyfall did indeed top the former top Bond money-maker film Thunderball. Even if it didn’t, Skyfall did make a $1 billion worldwide. That’s pretty good even if it didn’t break a record!
Plus, the film managed to actually score some Oscars. That was something that hadn’t happened to a Bond film for nearly fifty years – not since Thunderball actually. Mendes has to be given some credit for the films success.
Mendes has spending his time working in the theater and supposedly Babs and Michael decided to accommodate his schedule. He released a statement saying, “I very much look forward to picking up the reins again.”
No surprise Daniel Craig will be back as James Bond and I’m guessing some other characters we met in Skyfall will return – the new M, Moneypenny, Q. There’s no indication whether Bond 24 will be a direct sequel to Skyfall, but somehow I kind of doubt it will be.
Skyfall screenwriter John Logan is coming back, but there’s no word yet whether Neal Purvis and Robert Wade are returning. I figured those two guys are a given since they’ve been around since The World Is Not Enough.
There are rumors that Sebastian Faulk’s Bond novel ‘Devil May Care’ might possibly be used as the basis for the screenplay. This is a rumor that has been picked up by several news sites. I am extremely skeptical about this and am not going to believe it until I hear something official, but I’m just passing it along.
Devil May Care was released in 2008 to coincide with Ian Fleming’s 100th birthday. It tells the story of 007 being forced to battle an evil chemist who attempts to bring Britain to its knees.
Like I said – I’m not putting much credibility into this rumor. We’re going to be hearing a lot of gossip regarding the next Bond film until it arrives. The plot, the casting, the music, are all going to have their share of misinformation and guesswork attached to it. I’m sure the filmmakers are going to try to play coy with the rampant rumors and try to hold onto any information and surprises as long as they can.
One particularly nice thing to hear is Bond 24’s release date – only two years from now. I know looking at a calendar that seems a long time away, but given the last four year gap between Quantum of Solace and Skyfall it’s soothing to hear we’re only expected to wait two years for Bond to return. Let’s hope nothing happens to complicate that. The Bond films always seem to run into problems.
This just occurred to me – Mendes returning to work with Craig as Bond will mark the first time a director and Bond actor did a second Bond film together since 1989s License To Kill when director John Glen and Timothy Dalton both returned after The Living Daylights. Maybe that’s a moot observation…..
Anyway, is Mendes returning a good thing? Are there higher expectations for Bond 24 now and can it possibly top or even equal Skyfall‘s success? Is it time for Craig’s Bond to have a traditional buxom Bond girl with a funny name? And will they finally start the film with the gun barrel already???
I wonder if the destroying of the Astin Martin in Skyfall signifies the end of the Bond formula.
It's possible the days of femme fatales with funny names might be over.
Good observation Capt. Nemo. I didn't even consider it. I was one of the very few people who was against Mendes directing a Bond film, and I'm happy to say I was very very wrong. The bar has been set very very high with Skyfall. During Skyfall's release, there was an article that John Logan has taken over the reins as the franchise's in house writer and that Purvis and Wade are moving on. Although Casino Royale and Skyfall were well written, you have to ask yourself how much input did Paul Haggis and Logan had with their Bond scripts, after all Purvais and Wade were responsible for the last two Brosnan films which were terrible. Also it looks like the new Bond film may well be the first film in a two parter. Are there signs of the re-introduction of Quantum? Or a similar SPECTRE like organization. I remember during the release of Quantum of Solace, there was a rumor that Blofeld will be re-introduced and that Al Pacino was in talks for the role. Now obviously this was just pure speculation, but having Pacino as a Bond villain? Could be interesting. I doubt it would be based on Devil May Care, most of the Bond films never really took point from the post Flemming Bond novels. However I really do hope that Carte Blanche will never be adapted. That novel was an awful disaster. Anyhow a new Bond adventure called Solo is going to be published in September and it will be going back to the Flemming canon, so it'll be a retro 60s Bond, which is a wonderful thing.
As an obsessive Bond fan, I can't wait to see the new film, and I hope it doesn't disappoint.
Speaking as someone who is not an obsessive Bond fan but a massive Sam Mendes fan, I'm more than happy he's back onboard for Bond 24. Formula fans are just going to have to bite the bullet: the films have matured and are ready to move on…and I'm genuinely excited for where it's going.
Re-watched Sam Mendes' AMERICAN BEAUTY recently: always loved that moment when Lester Burnham is complaining about attending her daughter's cheerleading presentation at school: "Did she ask us to come? Maybe she doesn't want us to be there. Besides, I'm missing the James Bond marathon on TV!" 🙂
I guess the projected release date of 2015 means that the days of looking forward to a Bond film every two years is over- it just takes too much time and too much money to put these films together?
What I hope for the fourth Craig film is an old-fashioned spy story without the emotional baggage and deep examinations we've seen in the first three– it took three films to introduce us to this new Bond (and oddly enough, in those three films Craig's Bond went from being an unsure young novice to a possibly over-the-hill, grizzled, jaded, reluctant warrior for the Queen.)
(BTW I was in Kensington Palace Gardens this weekend and saw the display of Aston Martins under a huge 007 logo statue, very cool.)
A request for the fourth Craig film- please, enough with Bond shooting compressed gas tanks. He's done it in every film- twice in Casino Royale, once in Quantum of Solace, and twice again in Skyfall. He even winked before he did it once in Skyfall, as if to acknowledge that "yes, audience, I am pulling this stunt AGAIN..") Please, stop showing us the magical properties of exploding gas canisters. It's been done to death by Craig's Bond.
Ciaran Hinds knows he hasn't played a Bond villain yet but he will someday right, he's got to I predict he will be the villain in the next Bond film you heard it here first.
Glad to here its a great decision to cal Mendes back and its main reason is his awesome direction in the movie, particularly romantic scenes and personally my favorite china scene where Bond take another agent. Honestly i was satisfied with his work in the movie and we can take his credit in making Skyfall the highest grossing movie. Cant wait to watch Bond 24 this time again the same directors, producers and same Bond EXCITED!
Well, Well. Not surprise at all. Can't say no to a billion dollars. I for one will be going against the gain what Bond fans like to see. I want to see hard core Bond action now. Enough of this what make Bond tick story. We had 3 good film about this now. It's time to get to the basics on a good Bond movie. A evil mega villain, outlandish plot and some great action spectacle. No, I'm not saying let redo Die another Day, I just want to see a fun grand action done right with Craig like Only Live Twice or Spy Who Love Me. That what I'm hoping to see. I know it too early, but also it may be time to look who's the next Bond going to be. We got 2 more and I really think next Bond will change the tone of the series again. My money is on Superman. He did anyone know Adam West of Batman was offer to play Bond legend has it. Also, I was listing to Kevin Smith Fatman on Batman podcast and his guest kyle Higgs said there was a script involving all the James Bond actors in one movie and sort of explain the whole code name James Bond thing. I wonder who far they got with it. Anybody pick up that James Bond archive book. I planning to get it but way to expensive. 100 dollars WOW! Well until Bond press conference to announce actors I guest we have fun playing the guessing game.