Acording to Baz Bamigboye, Danny Boyle is set to direct Bond 25 in the fall after finishing “All you need is love” as long as the screenplay is approved by EON. Honestly, this doesn’t sound right. They are willing to wait for Hodge to write the script and see if it’s any good or not? What if it isnt? That’s a lot of time wasted.
It means in effect that Boyle has got the gig. And that they will accept anything Hodge hands in as long as it’s not total rubbish and can be reworked on the go. Also suggests they expect to see Hodge’s work by May or June. And that they still hope to start production later this year and hold their November 2019 release.
Provided everything runs smoothly, of course…
Boyle’s musical project is apparently already advanced enough to start shooting soonest.
“#BarbaraBroccoli #Michael G.Wilson & #DanielCraig “willing” this to happen.”
Okay. That’s the problem right there. EON and DC disregarding what made things so difficult before, just because they stubbornly want to get this name director. Either EON just has given in to DC set on an A-lister he knows or they are just as high on Bond only being directed by stars now.
This is why more time between Bond films just does not yield better results. Because that time is not used for a longer preparation. It´s used up with more tinkering and meddling and second-guessing… and then having to make a decision that could have been made much earlier and not under that huge pressure.
The production again will be rushed and more complicated than it should have been.
The script will not be ready in time - but EON/DC only want Boyle so the script is not their priority here, so re-writing will go on during shooting.
Again, I do not believe for a second that Boyle´s idea was so unusually original that it was worth it. It can’t be. This is a Bond film. Originality has huge constraints here. And mark my words, when BOND 25 is released and Boyle really has shot Hodge´s script people will scratch their heads and say: this is what they were waiting for?
And if the script turns out so unusable that EON will have to nix it, BOND 25 will not happen for 2019 and maybe not even with Craig anymore.
At this point I do want another Bond film just because I like to watch them, even the lesser ones. But I also would be relieved if BOND 25 lost Craig and started anew. With an actor who is not (yet) in the position to have director approval.
Also - MGM and whatever distribution party is interested/involved seem to not have enough power to say: get you act together now, we want this film safely done, not with so many maybes. Are they so scared that Bond films without DC will tank?
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Since MGM themselves haven’t got their act together as yet they probably welcome this meddling as it gives them more time for poker games in their backyard. Turns out this announcement of BOND 25 looooooong in advance now seems actually a very reasonable move.
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Maybe the original idea is…
Bond investigates something small…
Which links into something big that he is sent to investigate by M…
While investigating he kills and shags people…
He saves the worlds, kills the baddie and gets the girl.
This truly would be an original idea nowadays and I’m there for it!!!
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At last, some almost-official confirmation! It’s being reported everywhere now.
I think a lot of people on here are doing Boyle a great disservice. If anyone has seen 127 Hours, Trainspotting or Slumdog Millionaire- I think we’ll agree that he is more than qualified for Bond. And Hodge is no novice, dammit.
I’m really looking forward to seeing how this develops. I’m not too worried about the script- even Spectre and QoS were more than adequate servings of 007.
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“I’ll direct the movie if my yet to be conceived daughter is old enough to watch it!”
“Sure…Michael it’s your bet”
“Oh so it is. Check”
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I’m more concerned with EON and how they seem stuck on getting name directors or no Bond film until we get one. I feel like they’ve lost their identity and what makes them the powerhouse they are today (or were).
One might argue the trend to hire directors with a certain gravitas goes back to Spottiswoode and Apted. Maybe not so much as a serious bid for Academy Awards but certainly in trying to lift Bond films a notch or two.
Now the difference is that the director seems to have become the make-or-break element around which schedule and script are tailored. Instead of just going with their own timetable and hiring whoever is available at the time. It’s not as if BOND 25 would be Boyle’s last chance ever to do a Bond film.
Indeed.
But perhaps we are overlooking one party in particular- Daniel Craig. I’m sure he is quite a driving force and has a lot of say in who is going to be sitting in the director’s chair.
Campbell, Forster, Mendes- now Boyle. All quality directors in their own right. I can’t imagine him approving of Michael and Barbara settling for anyone who is available at the time. It just doesn’t simply work like that anymore.
Definitely. Craig is a huge influence on the franchise. I dare say if SPECTRE had been just a little bit more successful with the critics he’d have insisted on Mendes directing BOND 25 for whatever price tag Mendes would have stuck to his name.
As is, Craig surely wouldn’t think of returning just for any director. Now we’re fishing in a different pond.
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The news, more to come:
https://www.jborbisnonsufficit.com/2018/03/09/breaking-danny-boyle-to-direct-bond-25/
This does feel eerily similar to ditching Logan’s Bond 24 script so late in the game in favor of P&W.
Except this time it’s P&W’s script being ditched in favor of Hodge.
I’m not saying that Bond 25 will have the same issues as SP-- for all we know, this could be a top-tier Bond film which will be appreciated by both casual viewers and die-hards. But I wonder why, 2.5 years after SP, EON seem to be cutting it so close in the script writing department yet again.
Here’s an idea: hire writer(s) for Bond 26 NOW so that a draft or two can be done once production on Bond 25 is complete.
P&W will not take it personally, its the life of a writer - Christopher Wood once said he had to stop keeping copies of unused scripts he was paid for because they took up his whole office.
It would be great to have that kind of pre-planning. But since it´s now a director´s game no script written prior to a director being attached would survive anyway.
Sure, that kind of planning out several films would assure a much smoother and content-wise thought-out enterprise.
But that does not seem to be where EON´s priorities lie now.
Maybe with the next actor. Let’s hope!
Beware however that the tweet only says EON and DC are willing it to be.
It still depends on all the other factors in play: the script being one, and Boyle´s responsibilities for his current project another - and also Boyle´s asking price.
Not to mention the views of the studio, and as primary source of finance. their words will have weight.
If im honest - im happier with Hodge writing the script for Boyle simply because my least favourite film of Boyle’s (Slumdog Millionaire) was his only film with a writer not of his choice.
I guess his other go-to writer (Alex Garland) will be a no-go now he directs.
As for the direction they go with the script we’ll see. But I’m not freaking out over anything at this stage. I’m just happy to hear some news - I really want Craig to get that fifth film under his belt.
Yes! Finally some hope. P&W out! Hope that means no mi6 team with bloody earpieces, no vendetta or personal angle, no OTT fourth entry (with DB penchant for smaller budgets). And another cinematographer and composer! Love Hoyte and Newman, but they just didn’t work. Now I’m invested in B25. Although, in a very subconscious way, I´d love for a new Bond with Nolan or Villeneuve, and Deakins. But hey, not too shabby news.
I would not count out P&W doing a polish of Hodge’s script to “bring it in line” at some point. That’s what happened on Spectre and John Logan…