We’re all waiting to see how Amazon MGM Studios will handle the next era of the James Bond franchise with “Bond 26” (what we’ve been calling the next film until an official title is announced) still on the horizon and another exciting director has revealed they’ve been courted for the project.
Simon Robert, who attended a recent Paris Cinema Club Masterclass event this month, has revealed on social media that Alfonso Cuarón (“Roma”) told the audience that he had early “discussions” about “Bond 26” and expressed his desire to tackle it if the stars aligned. While the acclaimed director is keen to do it, he seemingly wants to do it his “way” (potentially a nod to EON refusing final cut or full creative control to previous Bond directing contenders).
“There is indeed THIS project under discussion, and I have the desire – if it happens – to revisit this story in my own way.” (Translated from French to English via Google)
However, the filmmaker failed to state WHEN exactly these talks happened and with what regime he spoke with about the “Bond” movies as Amazon only recently pushed out EON Productions and had been searching for new replacement overseers.
The filmmaker, of course, isn’t a stranger to franchise projects, having helmed “Harry Potter & The Prisoner of Azkaban,” which was considered by many when older audiences started getting into those films and started to showcase a darker tone.
This isn’t the first high-profile name being linked to “Bond 26,” as filmmakers such as Christopher Nolan (“Oppenheimer”) and Edward Berger (“Conclave”) had been in reportedly in early talks with former producers, Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson, before their high-profile ouster as Amazon MGM Studios shelled out a hefty billion dollars to secure total creative control over the franchise.
Now that Amy Pascal and David Heyman are running things for “Bond 26” at Amazon MGM Studios, there is a good chance they’re starting from scratch. Then again, it is worth mentioning that Heyman and Cuarón previously worked together on “The Prisoner of Azkaban,” that relationship could become an important key to landing an impressive filmmaker like Cuarón.
Cuarón has some serious action sequences cred, with projects like “Potter,” “Gravity,” and “Children of Men” filled to the brim, making him a solid contender. That is if he gets his wish of creative freedom.
