Who Should Direct The Next Bond Film?

SPECTRE may very well be Daniel Craig’s last outing as James Bond and the Internet is ablaze with speculation on who might replace him (Idris Elba is my choice). However there seems to be little discussion on who is in the running for that prestigious director’s chair. Sam Mendes who has directed the last two Bond films could of course return to direct a third and I wouldn’t be that disappointed, he’s a great director after all. However it seems unlikely for him to return to the franchise especially after almost not coming back to direct SPECTRE. So who might replace him? Let’s take a look at my choices:

Christopher Nolan

Let’s get the obvious one out of the way first of all; who wouldn’t want to see a Christopher Nolan Bond film? His epic cinematic storytelling has revolutionised the Superhero genre with the Dark Knight trilogy and has proven modern blockbusters don’t need to be dumb to rake in a large audience. He’s a big Bond fan, previously stating that On Her Majesty’s Secret Service as his favourite of the series. The large building in the snowy mountains in the final dream layer in Inception is inspired by Blofeld’s base in that very film. Nolan also likes to be included in the writing stage which is great; the same writing team have been writing Bond since Goldeneye and after SPECTRE, which didn’t have the best plot, the writing room could use some fresh blood. He also has a good working relationship with current Bond cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema who he worked with on Interstellar. The major downside is company politics. Nolan is very firmly with Warner Brothers and even has a film slated for release in July 2017 with them (fingers crossed it’s Akira). However the rights to James Bond are not stagnant and maybe Warner Brothers will grab them from Sony soon like reports suggest.

Matthew Vaughn

Matthew Vaughn’s Kingsman: The Secret Service is still one of the most entertaining films of the year which both pokes fun at the pitfalls of Bond films and celebrates their charm. So why not have Vaughn actually direct the next Bond? Whether it’s imaginative new films like Kick Ass or massive franchises like X-men Vaughn brings his unique kinetic visual style to them all and it would be a sight to behold if he brought it to Bond. If Craig was to return as 007 then Vaughn would be great because they have already worked well together on Layer Cake. I always see Vaughn as half of a duo and he would have to bring along the other half, writing partner Jane Goldman, for the Bond gig because her scripts allow for the high impact direction that Vaughn brings. The Bond producers would have to make a deal fast though because Vaughn may be directing the sequel to Kingsman very soon although he may pass the franchise on to another director like he did (disastrously) with Kick Ass.

Danny Boyle

After the lack of commercial success of Steve Jobs (the movie not the guy) Danny Boyle may look for something more guaranteed to find an audience and what better than Bond. As one of the best British directors working today he could take on Bond with ease. With Steve Jobs he made the small back stage rooms seem fascinating and action packed (with Aaron Sorkin dialogue rather than bullets) and so imagine what he could do with the huge landscapes and action sequences of a Bond film. Although despite saying all of this I think I would prefer to see him finally start production on Trainspotting 2 or 28 Months Later instead.

Denis Villeneuve

A couple of years ago I had never heard of Denis Villeneuve but now I want him to direct everything. With his thriller Prisoners and more recently Sicario (one of my favourite films of the year) he has proven to be able to explore dark and twist-filled plots in imaginative ways, demanding patience from the viewer while constantly racking up the tension. His next film is set to be the sequel to sci-fi masterpiece Blade Runner which will no doubt make use of his amazing visuals but whoever gets the rights to Bond in the next few months should be keeping an eye on Villeneuve.

David Fincher

Would a Bond film directed by David Fincher look completely different to all other Bond films that have come before? Yeah, everything would be grey and cold but why not have that? Directors should bring their own style to the franchise which after 24 films needs to be freshened up every once in a while. Will it happen? It’s very unlikely but wouldn’t it be cool; like if Quentin Tarantino wrote and directed a Star Wars movie. As always Fincher has a lot on his plate including the American remake of the Channel 4 show Utopia, teaming up again with Gone Girl writer Gillian Flynn but rumours suggest he may have left the project.

Lesli Linka Glatter

Lesli Linka Glatter is one of the most prolific directors on television, working on shows like Twin Peaks, Heroes, Homeland, The Leftovers, The Walking Dead, The West Wing and Mad Men. There’s a reason why she is asked to direct so many shows and it’s because she’s a phenomenal director. She’s a multiple Emmy nominee and even directed a short film that was nominated for an Academy Award. TV directors like Alan Taylor and Michelle MacLaren have moved into the film industry and I don’t see why Glatter shouldn’t do the same and her experience on Homeland makes her a great pick for Bond.

Who do you want to direct the 25th Bond film? Let me know in the comments or on Facebook/Twitter @kylebrrtt. Like, Subscribe and why not have a look at all the awesome stuff on the site like the podcasts and the other blogs. Come back next week for another dose of First Time Writing.