For Cary Fukunaga, 2018 was just supposed to be the year that his Netflix passion project, “Maniac,” launched to an adoring viewing audience. However, through a dramatic course of events surrounding the highly-public ‘Bond 25’ director search, which included the hiring and eventual departure of Danny Boyle, Fukunaga’s biggest headlines came from becoming the first American to helm an entry in the long-running superspy film franchise.
So, yeah, “Maniac” was released, but really, all anyone wants to talk about is ‘Bond 25.’ That includes Inquirer, who recently interviewed the filmmaker and picked his brain about his love affair with James Bond and what he feels he will bring to the much-anticipated swansong film for Daniel Craig as 007.
“The first Bond I ever saw was ‘A View to a Kill’ with Roger Moore,” said Fukunaga. “The whole finale took place in the Bay Area, which is where I’m from. So to see my home on the big screen was really exciting. It made your own life seem larger than itself.”
It’s not just the finale of the Roger Moore Bond film that the filmmaker remembers fondly. He also has a fairly hot take about the theme song for “A View to Kill,” which he ranks up there as the best ever. “I have an older brother who is 7 years older than me, so all of the music that was his favorite became my favorite music. To me, Duran Duran’s Bond theme song was probably one of the best Bond songs ever, because I love Duran Duran,” explained the filmmaker.
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So, what can fans expect from ‘Bond 25?’ As you might imagine, Fukunaga is mum on the details, but he does explain that his focus right now is just on making the best film possible. He said, “Now that I have the job, I just keep my head down and try to figure out how to make this as good as possible.
“In terms of what I can bring to change the character, Bond is on a character arc that started with ‘Casino Royale,’ and I will be carrying that on,” Fukunaga adds. “There will be changes, I am sure. As in any story, a character has to change in order [to have] a narrative.”
However, those changes aren’t necessarily in line with some of the rumors floating around the ‘Bond’ fandom. Some are speculating that Christoph Waltz and Ben Whishaw, actors featured prominently in past Daniel Craig-led films, will not be returning for Fukunaga’s ‘Bond 25.’
“Who is saying those rumors? We haven’t finished the screenplay, so there is no way that anyone could know that. Those are two extraordinary actors, so if there is space for them in the story, I would absolutely want them there. But I don’t know yet what it’s going to be,” he said.
Well, more details about ‘Bond 25’ should be forthcoming, as the script should be finished soon. That is, if the director wants to avoid any more delays and release ‘Bond 25’ on its newly-scheduled release date of February 14, 2020.