With a new James Bond movie officially slated for 2019, and Daniel Craig just a formal announcement away from returning, all that’s left to find is a director. And a pretty interesting list of frontrunners for the gig has emerged.
Deadline reports that Yann Demange, Denis Villenueve and David MacKenzie are in the running for the job. It’s an interesting mix of new talent and veteran hands. Demange is the new kid on the block in a sense, breaking out with “ ’71” and recently wrapping his first Hollywood movie, the drug drama “White Boy Rick” starring Matthew McConaughey. MacKenzie has been moving steadily up the ladder, helming a string of small indies early in his career, gaining wider notice with “Starred Up,” and then experiencing awards season recognition for “Hell Or High Water.” However, both filmmakers have never worked with the kind of budget a Bond movie would bring.
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That brings us to Villeneuve, who is certainly an intriguing option. The director is gearing up to release “Blade Runner 2049” this fall, easily his biggest movie to date, and he’s a frequent collaborator with cinematographer Roger Deakins, who made “Skyfall” look gorgeous. So, it could be a pretty fascinating pairing if they take it on, but our heart isn’t necessarily in seeing Villeneuve jump from one franchise to another.
As for recently mentioned names like Christopher Nolan or Edgar Wright, they don’t seem to be in the mix, which makes sense, given that they’ve both said they’d want to put their own mark on the material. The producers of Bond aren’t looking for reinvention at this point, which is clearly indicated by hiring screenwriters Neal Purvis and Robert Wade, who have penned the last six installments, to script the next movie.
Thoughts? Let us know in the comments section.