Perhaps we won’t know who is going to directJames Bond 25until it finds a proper home with a distributor, as Sony and Warner Bros. continue to fight for the rights, alongsideAmazon and Apple, with plenty of other studios vying for the option to own a piece of 007. But now we know who Daniel Craig wants. And it’s none other thanBlade Runner 2049director Denis Villeneuve.
Denis Villeneuveis at the top of Daniel Craig’s personal wish list, according toDaily Mail. The sequel is in the very early days of pre-production, and as far as everyone knows, the screenplay isn’t even locked in at this stage. The movie will be the fifth and final time that Craig returns as 007. So whoever takes the helm, you may expected it to be someone special.
There have been a number of unsubstantiated rumors floating around aboutJames Bond 25. Some have claimed that the title isShatterhandand that the main villain will be a blind man. The story is said to revolve around aretired Bondwho seeks revenge on his wife’s killer. Just like an oldCHiPsepisode. Some have called it theTakenof the Bond franchise. News also leaked that Beyonce is the frontrunner to do the new theme song.
Craig is said to really be pushing for Denis Villeneuve. The man has been on a hot streak, directing critical hits likeArrivalandPrisoners. He also turned in the surprise blockbuster drug drama thrillerSicario, which is getting a sequel next year. And he also directed the thrillerEnemy.
Right now, Villeneuve has been doing the press rounds forBlade Runner 2049, which hits theaters next month. He is also scheduled to direct the long-gestatingremake of Dune. Other directors who have been up for the Job include Yann Demange, who directed'71.
Bondproducer Barbara Broccoli recently confirmed that she won’t rule out a female director for the next 007 adventure, though no women have been mentioned in the running. If that happened, it would be a first for the series. At this time, no release date, or even a start date have been officially announced forJames Bond 25. It all depends on what happens with the rights. It’s expected that something will be announced by MGM and EON productions by the end of the year.
Until that time, we’ll all have to wait and watch how this unfolds. No other actors have been formally announced just yet. And aside from Daniel Craig’s return, there isn’t anything else that is official about this sequel. If the rights issue doesn’t get figured out soon, we might not see Bond return on the big screen until 2019 or 2020, which would make for a one of the biggest gaps between Bond movies in a very long time.
