The film still doesn’t have a director, but there’s forward movement over at ‘Bond 25.’
After the sudden, and for many fans, tragic, departure of filmmaker Danny Boyle, the production of the upcoming ‘Bond 25,’ the last film of the franchise to feature star Daniel Craig, has gone into a bit of a freefall. Numerous directors have been named as part of the “short list,” and the release date of 2019 was pushed back a full year. But never fear, Bond fans! Neal Purvis and Robert Wade are here to save the day. Or at least steer the ship back into calmer seas.
READ MORE: Latest ‘Bond 25’ Directors List Includes S.J. Clarkson & Bart Layton
For those not super familiar with the spy franchise, Purvis and Wade are the writing duo that is responsible for many a Bond script. In fact, before the tryst with Danny Boyle and writer John Hodge, Purvis and Wade were brought on to begin work on ‘Bond 25.’ Everyone assumed that the writing duo had finished a draft of the script, but according to a new report from the Daily Mail, that’s not completely accurate.
The report states that Purvis and Wade only finished a treatment, which producers signed off on. However, once Boyle and Hodge were brought on to the film, that treatment was pushed aside. Now, since Boyle is gone, the Hodge-penned script is being scrapped in favor of the Purvis and Wade treatment. Now, the duo must hurry and write the script, which will inevitably be touched up by whatever filmmaker is eventually hired on.
As for the differences between the two stories, not much is known. We heard from an actor that Danny Boyle cast for the villain role that the producers were deciding the ethnicity of the villain still. And the Daily Mail says whatever happens with ‘Bond 25,’ “there’s a keenness for women to be more front-and-centre.”
Perhaps this means that 007 could be getting his very own Ilsa Faust in ‘Bond 25?’ If not, hopefully, we can assume that the women in the film will have a little more agency and not just become eye-candy.
Either way, we finally have positive news to report on ‘Bond 25,’ and perhaps even a sign that things are finally coming together after the Boyle debacle.