It’s official. Empire is reporting that Same Mendes, who took the James Bond franchise to $1 billion heights with Skyfall, will not be directing the next installment of the franchise. Bond 24, as it’s tentatively called, will thus be handed off to yet another director. Already there are names being floated around. Johnnie To, Christopher Nolan, Gareth Evans. Of course, none of these directors are at all likely. If I had to choose one director who’s absolutely perfect for the job I’d go with David Yates, but he may be too busy.
The truth is, we won’t have any clue who will take on this task until we do have a clue. Some news outlet will leak the story, or Eon will put out a press release, and then we’ll know, and we’ll probably be surprised and a little anxious.
In the meantime, though, it’s fun to speculate and let our imaginations run free. So let’s go crazy and come up with the most out there and potentially awesome choices for who should direct the next Bond film. Here are my picks for the 7 People Who Should Totally Direct Bond 24.
Tomas Alfredson
The Logic: Let the Right One In showed Alfredson was quite a capable director, but it’s Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy that announced he’s the real deal, and with a spy picture no less!
The Pitch: MI6 has been infiltrated by a mole supplying state secrets to terrorists. When one supremely evil terrorist threatens to get a hold of the UK’s nuclear launch codes, M tasks Bond with finding the mole and getting on the trail of the terrorist organization. Little does Bond know, the mole is one of his closest friends, and the revelation will be soul-crushing.
Neveldine/Taylor
The Logic: This directing duo are doing insane things with the form. If Sam Mendes was brought in to add class and manner to the Bond series, why not throw the audience for a loop by shaking everything up?
The Pitch: An insane billionaire bent on global domination kidnaps Bond and implants a bomb inside his brain. To stay alive, Bond must reach pre-determined checkpoints across the globe, coerced into helping the madman achieve his ends. If he doesn’t reach a checkpoint in the allotted time, the bomb explodes. Best of all, the racism and sexism of the Bond series will finally become intentionally satirical.
Danny Boyle
The Logic: I mean, this one is pretty obvious. He’s one of the best British directors around. He knows how to do stylish action. Maybe this will be how a James Bond film finally gets an Oscar nod for Best Picture.
The Pitch: While on a mission for MI6, Bond falls into a crevasse and traps his arm under a rock. He’s rescued by an evil Indian game show host who forces him to answer multiple-choice questions. If Bond gives a wrong answer, the Sun will explode. Along the way, Bond must fight off fast-moving mutated henchmen and hilarious drug addicts.
Ben Affleck
The Logic: We all love Ben Affleck now. He’s a solid director. Really, it’s pretty simple.
The Pitch: James Bond has to stop a madman. Stylistically, the film will be sort of like a Bond movie from the 70s. There may be some overt political references. Everything will be extremely run-of-the-mill but too well made to deny. I have no doubt Affleck would make an excellent, straight-forward Bond film. (Ben Affleck will replace Daniel Craig in the role of James Bond.)
Edgar Wright
The Logic: I mean, did you see Hot Fuzz and Scott Pilgrim? The guy may be a comedic director, but he clearly has a strong grasp of how to craft action sequences. Plus, he’s worked with Timothy Dalton!
The Pitch: Bond goes to a small village in England and finds himself at the center of a disturbing conspiracy to blow up the country and crusty jugglers around the world. To defeat them he must team up with a silly man on the local police force. By the end of the film he’s defeated evil lunatics AND made a lifelong friend.
Sofia Coppola
The Logic: No, this is not a joke. Well, it’s a little bit of a joke. But not really. Coppola is an incredible visual stylist. Her attention to visual detail makes her films a sumptuous experience, even when the subjects are difficult to sympathize with. She’s never done action before, but I have no doubt she’d manage just fine.
The Pitch: James Bond is in retirement, enjoying his millions of dollars in retirement savings, when he’s called back into action to stop a total asshole who wants to disrupt his admittedly unfulfilling life of privilege. Bond must come to terms with the emptiness of his wealth while kicking ass to save it.
Nicolas Winding Refn
The Logic: Another excellent visual stylist, with just enough serious of craft to make something beautiful, but still fully embracing of genre fun. Coming off Mendes, Refn could be perfect for the franchise, though he might have to speed up the pace of the film more than he’s used to.
The Pitch: James Bond meets a girl and stares into her eyes for hours on end without speaking. Quick bursts of ultra-violence reveal his inner struggles and desires, but threaten to destroy his relationship. In an odd twist, the villain of the film simply wants to cover his own ass after a robbery-gone-wrong. The true antagonist of the film is Bond’s inability to fit into a normal life.
So, those are my dream(ish) picks. Who would you like to see direct Bond 24?
3 thoughts on “7 People Who Should Totally Direct Bond 24”
That is a good list although I’m not sure about the idea of a Bond film helmed by Sofia Coppola as much as I love her very much. For me, it’s got to be someone who knows the Bond franchise and its history. Maintain that air of old-school elegance but also with something modern. Tomas Alfredson and Danny Boyle would be great choices yet I would want someone like Kathryn Bigelow to helm the film. She’s can pretty much take on the action while being quite ballsy. Plus, maybe she could find a Bond girl who can be an equal to Bond but is also willing to shag him.
Great list. I kept saying “oh that would be cool” to almost everyone on the list as I kept reading. Only iffy on Coppola and Neveldine/Taylor. I could also see George Clooney doing a pretty cool Bond. Realistically, Kenneth Branagh or Brad Bird could take it on. Ideally, David Fincher. There are just a lot of really cool options. Sam Mendes I think really opened the door for more sophisticated Bond films.
Bring back Martin Campbell! He’s made two of the best Bond films ever. Plus I’d rather see pretty much everyone on this list handling a totally original property. Love the mention of Neveldine/Taylor though – damn the hate, they’re two of the only directors in Hollywood who are really doing things differently.