Its one of the things you learn about in A Level media studies - basically an ongoing debate of whether you get your views and ideals from the things you watch, play, read etc or do you like them because they share your ideals. I find its between the two, if you’re enjoying something youll read the politics you like into it, whilst if you arnt enjoying it, youll pick out what you disagree with. Its one of the first media debates you learn about, but its flawed as it assumes people are unbiased observers with perfect clarity. They arnt. They are not even close.
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Pierce had famously said that EON likes to think they are a family, but are not (he was being fired at the time.) Perhaps this is true for the crew. But EON no longer has a bullpen of writers (Richard Maibaum, Christopher Wood, Tom Mankiewics, even MGW) and directors (Terence Young, Guy Hamilton, Lewis Gilbert, John Glen) experienced with the production team that they can go to in a pinch. Consequently, they have to restart momentum from scratch every film. Sam Mendes seems tired of Bond and Martin Campbell too old for it, so they have no bench to call in for a save.
Other big franchises are also having problems (Guardians of the Galaxy, Star Trek), and Bond’s seem trivial in comparison. I’d like to think EON wouldn’t announce anything officially without having a back up plan. Danny Boyle always seemed an odd choice to me anyway.
What about Michelle MacLaren? She’s done Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul and Game of Thrones episodes, along with Westworld and Walking Dead, has experience with actioners (K2 second unit manager), and would add a lot of buzz being the first woman director of a Bond film. Also, she’s Canadian, not American if there’s any truth to that no American director rule. Also, with Cowboy Ninja Viking recently being pulled from release, she would seem available.
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It’s currently Purvis and Wade, regardless of how much the internet hates them.
They have as much as they always do in terms of the rest, if you look back, John Glen was the exception rather than the rule in working on Bond films for years before being offered the directors chair. Hunt (the only other director who had worked on a Bond film in any capacity) had to argue for it, Cubby/Saltzman wanted his editing skills. He said only if he could direct. The rest where all freelance directors with impressive CV’s in their own rights. Beyond that EON still has go to people for the whole crew, exception maybe in DOP and Editor as each director has chosen their own. Martin Campbell and Sam Mendes have the same sort of relationship that Lewis Gilbert and Guy Hamilton were, friendly enough relationship that they could ask them and they’d consider it, but not at the expense of their own career as they don’t NEED Bond.
I’m sure when Boyle quit, both Mendes and Campbell were asked, whether or not either would have said yes is, of course, another matter.
“Obviously bad blood”? I wouldn’t necessarily go that far. His remarks are candid but measured.
If the search is on for a writer-director, I’m surprised not to have seen Martin McDonagh’s name in the mix given that he has no new film projects announced and is hot off the critical success of “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”.
Interesting that no media outlets are throwing Martin Campbell’s name into the mix. Despite the fact he isn’t retired, and the fact that George Miller and Ridley Scott directed large-scale adventure epics when they were even older than Campbell will be, maybe his age really is a deterrent, or like Mendes, maybe he’s just done with Bond.
I half suspect that if they bring in one of the up-and-coming directors such as Demange or Mackenzie to direct then, provided the film is successful, they’ll ask him to do the next one after that in order to usher in the next Bond actor.
Well, those articles have no more information than we do, it’s pure speculation on their part, much like it is with us.
I wouldn’t call it “measured” - since it is utter nonsense. And there’s no reason for him to comment either.
A polite “no comment” or even a “heck, why are you asking me, I haven’t worked with Boyle for ages” would have been the way to go if Pryce did not have any incentive to stick it to EON.
As for Campbell: he’s preparing to shoot a Hemingway adaptation later this year - ironically starring Pierce Brosnan.
Martin McDonagh would be very interesting. But maybe he is deep into new projects after his huge success with the amazing “Three Billboards”.
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Just checked IMDB myself SAF for Campbell - Great minds eh?
Yeah, that wouldn’t bear well "Sorry Pierce, I’ve gotta go jump in and direct the new Bond. There’s a huge lorry backing up my drive stacked with money. " 
So, on we go waiting on something official.
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Perhaps. I took it more as a commentary on Boyle’s politics coinciding with his niche as a filmmaker rather than as a criticism of EON doing what they do with Bond, which is to make blockbusters.
Beyond McDonagh, Alex Garland is another name that came to mind. He has an FX series on the way but not sure at what stage it’s in.
I enjoy TMWTGG, but I cannot read my politics into – there is no room for them. But artist that he is, Hamilton created/composed an aesthetic space that allows those with different politics to inhabit and enjoy the film without having to agree with the politics (Coppola is similar in his aesthetic). I argue that it was Hamilton’s training under Carol Reed that taught him how to accomplish this feat. Editors-turned-directors such as John Glen and Peter Hunt were not as adept at this–Hamilton prioritized arranging space into image, while Glen and Hunt emphasized establishing a rhythm of successive images (which may be why Hunt had little use for Hamilton as a director). But I would say that in general the non-Bond films of Hunt and Glen are much lesser works than the non-Bond films of Hamilton.
Regarding Campbell’s upcoming film with Brosnan, pre-production covers a wide range, not to mention that the film has been a project of other directors and actors previously and has fallen through in each prior incarnation. So who knows until it starts filming.
But his name not being mentioned at all, that gives me pause. Does anyone remember if there were rumors of him coming back to do CR before it was announced?
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What ever decision they make, I’m sure it will be the Wright one.
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Hamilton was a very visual director, even his more relatively restrained visuals in the seventies films are very carefully constructed. Makes me intrigued to know what he would’ve done had he succeeded in making Superman - a visual director like Hamilton adapting a highly visual medium does sound brilliant.
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Quite true. Countless films have been in pre-production for many years. One could say that all films are in pre-production the minute the script is optioned or sold. Sometimes fast tracked and some languish for years in development Hell. When Batman came out in '89 and WB was sealing their first DC deal, I actually read an outline and draft for a Wonder Woman feature and it kept being talked about… and talked about… and talked about. Anyway, looks like Campbell has his own thing going on.
Thinking of a few names now…
Or if he had pursued the opportunity to direct the film that eventually became Batman by Tim Burton.
Interestingly, Tom Mankiewicz said that Hamilton would have been the wrong choice to direct.:
Dharmesh : How do you think Superman would’ve turned out if Guy Hamilton had stayed on-board?
Tom : I’m extremely fond of Guy who did three James Bond movies, I know him very, very well. He was very loyal to me. I think Guy would’ve been a disastrous choice for Superman ; he’s very sophisticated and a very cynical man.
Dick Donner really believes in the myth and if you’re going to write these things properly, the ones that work like Spider-man , or the first Batman , you have to get inside the material, you have to believe it, and if you stand outside it and make it campy or comment on it, it doesn’t work. Conversely, Dick wouldn’t be right for James Bond. What Dick completely lacks is the cynicism of Bond, the one line wit, that kind of thing. Dick can do action as well as any other director whoever did it but Guy’s attitude to life, and the sophistication made him ideally suited for Bond but not for this.
Full at:
The 2006 Tom Mankiewicz Interview | CapedWonder Superman Imagery
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Mankiewicz talks a little about this on his commentary on Superman The Movie, he doesn’t mention Hamilton but he talks about tone and the lightness of touch needed for Superman versus the world weary cynicism he felt was needed for Batman.
Thank you Onion. I have not revisited the Superman films since I first saw them. I am more into the incoherent text movies of the 1970’s. I am fond, however, of Burton’s Batman Returns.
An interesting thing occurred when I saw the original Superman the Movie in the theatre back on opening night in 1978. The projectionist accidentally left the next to the final reel off, and when I saw the film it ended with Lois Lane dying and Superman screaming. The next thing we saw were the end credits. I remember mentioning to my wife how sad that was, and how out of character Superman flying toward the screen and smiling was considering what had just happened. I didn’t find out until days later when people started talking about how cool it was when Superman reversed time to save her. I complained to the theatre manager who gave us free tickets to see the “complete” film that next weekend.
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That’s funny. When I saw Memento, they accidentally showed the reels in reverse order, and I couldn’t figure out why everyone thought the movie was so cool.
OK, kidding.
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The way I see it is that Bond’s relationship with politics is knowing which Prime Minister is wagging their finger disapprovingly at him.
He is the poster child for government expense scandals.