Following hot on the heels of a rumored new name added to the ever-growing list of candidates for the next 007 comes some news on the director situation. Pitch opportunities have apparently been extended to five directors.
As previously reported, the director will have some say in the casting of the new 007, and their approach and tone will also dictate that decision to a degree. As a result, getting a director in place is crucial to progressing forward.
If this news is true, then it means things are progressing firmly and the decision, while not imminent, is drawing closer with gathering speed.
Puck News has reported that five directors have either had, or will shortly have, get-togethers with producers David Heyman and Amy Pascal to talk a potential approach to Bond and make a pitch for how they would launch a new era in the franchise.
The list has a couple of surprises on it.
Conclave and All Quiet on the Western Front director Edward Berger is a known candidate. As is Dune and Sicario director Denis Villeneuve. Both of these are carry-overs from the previous regime.
Some new entrants to the list are Hot Fuzz and Baby Driver director Edgar Wright, alongside Paddington and Wonka director Paul King. Wonka remains a delight and a textbook example of bringing big stage show style presence to a theatrical release. Suitability for a Bond movie? Well… on the surface, it may not seem a good fit, but Bond is Bond, and it has a track record of taking directors you may not have traditionally thought of and putting them into the mix.
The second unit has always been massively key on a Bond movie.
The real surprise name on the list is the fifth and final – Nolan. Not Christopher Nolan, but his brother Jonathan Nolan. He was writer on The Prestige, The Dark Knight, and Interstellar. He directed several episodes of Westworld, Person Of Interest, and Fallout.
Surprising, but the more you think about it, the more you could see some merit in that. Maybe he could lock in for several movies and really light a fire under the momentum of the franchise. The 007 franchise has elevated TV directors before with some good results.
Alfonso Cuaron, who had previously been rumored, is not on this list.
