What Directors Should Helm A Bond Film?

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  • peterpeter Toronto
    Posts: 9,509
    Exactly @Denbigh (they’re not done spending money and energy on this film yet! And certainly, what will the industry look like on the other side of this?)
  • ResurrectionResurrection Kolkata, India
    Posts: 2,541
    matt_u wrote: »
    I’d keep Nolan away from Bond. We don’t need directors pushing for “re-inventing” the character in order to prove that Bond is still relevant today. We already had that. Plus, Nolan’s action is boring as hell and he totally lacks sexiness in his films.

    +1, Sexiness and glamour both.
  • JamesBondKenyaJamesBondKenya Danny Boyle laughs to himself
    Posts: 2,730
    Nicolas winding refn turned it down for B24 I think. He would have been a good choice.
  • GadgetManGadgetMan Lagos, Nigeria
    Posts: 4,247
    Nolan is an Ardent Bond fan, would he throw away the sexiness?....I don't think so....coz he knows what Bond is all about.

    Same can be said about Mendes in terms of action. It's only after SF, the world knew Mendes could direct action movies....I remember we fans doubted his action credentials, saying we were in for a more character-driven Bond film, than action.
  • Posts: 1,220
    Nicolas winding refn turned it down for B24 I think. He would have been a good choice.

    He’d have made something slick and stylish, no doubt but I think he’s incredibly portentous for Bond. I’m not sure we want to see 2 and a half hours of characters silently brooding and starting off into the distance.

    The obvious choices for me would be Villeneuve and Nolan (however after Tenet I think he’ll have gotten the Bond bug out of his system). If you’d have asked me a couple years ago Cary Fukunaga would’ve been near the top of my list, but I think Steve McQueen would be a fantastic choice, along with Ryan Coogler, Rian Johnson, and if it were a smaller FRWL style film then Tom Ford.
  • Posts: 4,408
    Nicolas winding refn turned it down for B24 I think. He would have been a good choice.

    I think they didn't pursue him as a choice. As I understand, Eon wanted Sam Mendes back. However, Mendes was reticent. So Eon went after a number of A-list directors including Ang Lee, Tom Hooper, Shane Black, Nicholas Winding Refn and David Yates. That's a helluva short list for the time back in 2013. Interesting to see that all those directors have faltered massively in recent years......Eon dodged a bullet.

    I still think either Nolan or the Safdie's would be amazing.....if you wanted something in the same vein as the Craig films than Nolan is the guy. Plus, for such an A-list director, he genuinely seems to want the job.



    But perhaps something new and someone younger is required. The Safdie's are the answer in such case. You may be not know the Safdie's usually work with a producer who is married to Emily Ratajkowski. I recall her being good in the David Fincher movie. She'd built to be in a Bond film. Perhaps in a Xenia type role.

    The Safdie brothers just get it. People need to watch their stuff - especially Uncut Gems and Good Time.

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  • edited June 2020 Posts: 910
    As I understand, Eon wanted Sam Mendes back. However, Mendes was reticent. So Eon went after a number of A-list directors including Ang Lee, Tom Hooper, Shane Black, Nicholas Winding Refn and David Yates. That's a helluva short list for the time back in 2013. Interesting to see that all those directors have faltered massively in recent years......Eon dodged a bullet.

    I don't quite agree with this idea that all these have faltered massively. Certainly some of them have faced critical failures, most notably Hooper, Yates and Black; however, none of the three has ever been considered as great filmmaker. It may be disputed regarding Hooper, but I've never seen him other than as an academic director. It's not as if his adaptation of Les Misérables or The Danish Girl are particularly acclaimed works of art, it is even rather the opposite. One's could say that to falter, you need to be in a strong position before, which wasn't the case of any of these three.

    Regarding Lee and Refn, I don't see them faltering massively. Gemini Man was a cinematic experience and as such, it is normal for it to go beyond the classical reception framework of a blockbuster. Not that I particularly like this film, but it is necessary to take it separately, outside the way his other movies are looked. This comment could be addressed to Refn's recent work in general and it doesn't seem to me that neither The Neon Demon nor Too Old to Die Young were panned by critics. So, I don't see how they faltered massively in recent years, nor how Eon dodged a bullet by not recurring them.

    Sure, they aren't the most obvious names to tackle a Bond film, but neither are the Safdies you mentioned.
  • edited June 2020 Posts: 4,408
    As I understand, Eon wanted Sam Mendes back. However, Mendes was reticent. So Eon went after a number of A-list directors including Ang Lee, Tom Hooper, Shane Black, Nicholas Winding Refn and David Yates. That's a helluva short list for the time back in 2013. Interesting to see that all those directors have faltered massively in recent years......Eon dodged a bullet.

    I don't quite agree with this idea that all these have faltered massively. Certainly some of them have faced critical failures, most notably Hooper, Yates and Black; however, none of the three has ever been considered as great filmmaker. It may be disputed regarding Hooper, but I've never seen him other than as an academic director. It's not as if his adaptation of Les Misérables or The Danish Girl are particularly acclaimed works of art, it is even rather the opposite. One's could say that to falter, you need to be in a strong position before, which wasn't the case of any of these three.

    Regarding Lee and Refn, I don't see them faltering massively. Gemini Man was a cinematic experience and as such, it is normal for it to go beyond the classical reception framework of a blockbuster. Not that I particularly like this film, but it is necessary to take it separately, outside the way his other movies are looked. This comment could be addressed to Refn's recent work in general and it doesn't seem to me that neither The Neon Demon nor Too Old to Die Young were panned by critics. So, I don't see how they faltered massively in recent years, nor how Eon dodged a bullet by not recurring them.

    Sure, they aren't the most obvious names to tackle a Bond film, but neither are the Safdies you mentioned.

    No, you're absolutely right. I was being very sweeping in my generalisations.

    But a number of those directors on the short-list from 2013 are now not quite as 'hot' as they were.
    1. Tom Hopper: You're totally right. He's a staid and banal filmmaker. He's had his turkey well and truly toasted with Cats. So it's debatable if he'll make an kind of comeback, let alone be granted the opportunity to make a Bond film.
    2. Ang Lee: In 2012, he was riding the wave following Life of Pi. But since made Billy Lynn and Gemini Man committing to 48 FPS. The latter I liked in fact even if it was a generic action film. Nonetheless, the critics killed both and they sunk at the box. It be hard for him to fall out of favour, but he's coming close.
    3. Shane Black: He just made a billion dollar studio film. However, The Nice Guys bombed and really shouldn't have. Then there was the disaster than was Predator.
    4. NWR: I agree with you. I love his style and mood. In fact, I thought both Neon Demon and Too Old To Die Young were terrific! So, I take that he certainly has not faltered.

    Winding Refn is probably too niche and individualistic. He almost has his own sub-genre these days. Films with pseudo-Lynchian surrealism with heavy sexualised tone that's super violent and lit in neon. I also adore how slow-burn his films are. They also sound amazing. It's always so moody, so atmospheric and so pretentious.

    He'd knock a Bond film out of the park....he also has a relationship with P&W. A very exciting choice.

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    Still batting for the Safdie's. Their style is so engrossing....plus they are young and edgy. just check out this chase scene!! Damn!

    It's only like 2 minutes and it'll convince you that they can do a Bond film!



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  • Winding Refn is probably too niche and individualistic. He almost has his own sub-genre these days. Films with pseudo-Lynchian surrealism with heavy sexualised tone that's super violent and lit in neon. I also adore how slow-burn his films are. They also sound amazing. It's always so moody, so atmospheric and so pretentious.

    He'd knock a Bond film out of the park....he also has a relationship with P&W. A very exciting choice.
    Totally agree with this description. Speaking of this relationship with P&W, has their joint project titled The Avenging Silence made any progress since its announcement in 2017? It would be an interesting watch, more than seeing Refn helming a proper Bond flick, in my opinion. As you said, he's quite individualistic. I think he still could have been open to Eon back in the Spectre days, and could even have done something fascinating with the Day of the Dead sequence, but it’s now too late.
  • CraigMooreOHMSSCraigMooreOHMSS Dublin, Ireland
    Posts: 8,207
    Winding-Refn? God no. Seeing some of the words being used to praise him are exactly the reasons why I wouldn't want him near Bond. He's utterly insufferable to listen to and he has made one good film since Drive to boot. It'd be a misunderstanding of what makes Bond special on a massive level, and would likely alienate a significant portion of the audience if his usual tricks are present.

    We require an experienced action director, one that won't sacrifice the unique qualities of the series for the sake of their own ego. I always thought Gareth Edwards would be a good choice. Gareth Evans, if we're looking to up the brutal action quota.

    As much as I like the Safdie Bros. and their films, and I do, their appeal lies in their down and dirty indie style that lacks the class that I want from a Bond film. Undoubtedly though, they would explore Bond's dubious morality which would be very interesting as an experiment. They have a great knack with developing flawed protagonists.

    About 10 years ago, I held the opinion that Philip Noyce was someone that should have been given a crack of the Bond whip. I'm surprised they didn't try and get him during the Brosnan era.
  • Posts: 4,408
    I want the Safdie brothers and the crew of Uncut Gems to direct Robert Pattinson with Emily Ratajkowski (who is the wife of the Uncut Gem's producer, Sebastian Bear-McClard) playing a Fiona Volpe/Xenia Onnatopp character with Mahershala Ali as the villain.

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  • Mendes4LyfeMendes4Lyfe The long road ahead
    Posts: 8,392
    Either Campbell returns or it should be Nolan. Campbell knows Bond better than anyone, having already made two great entries, and Nolan is really the last of the big budget autuers, who can sell a film on their name alone, including Tim Burton, Speilberg, and Ridley Scott. I feel like Nolan is perfect for Bond not only because he is a big fan of the series, but his style of "do it for real" filmmaking is one which the series has prided itself on for decades. Given to any other name director, Bond 26 will be constructed using CGI and computer fakery. Nolan still stives for the authentic, and that is so rare nowadays! So my vote goes to Nolan, who is at the top of his powers right now with Tebet which is set to blow our socks off as fans of cinematic sepctacle that we are. He is truly rewritting the rulebook, and everyone has been following his lead since 2005, including EON. The franchise really could use someone like him after the fiasco of Bond 25 is behind us.
  • DenbighDenbigh UK
    edited June 2020 Posts: 5,970
    If I was to look at it in the way @Pierce2Daniel was looking at it, if it was to my dream choice for the whole project then I would want Denis Villeneuve to direct, with Greig Fraser or a returning Roger Deakins for cinematography, and this would be the rebooted cast I’d put forward for that film too...

    - Sam Claflin/Callum Turner as James Bond
    - Lennie James as M
    - Joel Edgerton as Felix Leiter
    - Vanessa Kirby as Miss Moneypenny
    - Riz Ahmed as Q
  • LocqueLocque Escaped from a Namur prison
    Posts: 262
    I would go for Paul King (Paddington and Paddington 2): fantastic visual sense, gets great performances, and good at elaborate action scenes.
  • DrClatterhandDrClatterhand United Kingdom
    Posts: 349
    Locque wrote: »
    I would go for Paul King (Paddington and Paddington 2): fantastic visual sense, gets great performances, and good at elaborate action scenes.

    What a fantastic choice. I'd never thought of him, but it makes complete sense. Very English sensibilities too.
  • Locque wrote: »
    I would go for Paul King (Paddington and Paddington 2): fantastic visual sense, gets great performances, and good at elaborate action scenes.
    Even if I have some doubts about his ability to handle action scenes, I think it could be an interesting choice, if well accompanied and helped by the stunt team. However, he seems to be in talks for a Willy Wonka movie, set to be the start of a new franchise, meaning he may not be available for the next years.
  • DenbighDenbigh UK
    Posts: 5,970
    Thinking about it some more. I'd also be up for seeing Justin Kurzel direct Bond 26. He directed the 2015 version of Macbeth, my favourite adaptation of the original story, Assassin's Creed, which was quite bad to be honest but I put that more on the difficulty of adapting those video games, and he directed True History of the Kelly Gang, which I'm yet to see...

    ...but he has worked with Callum Turner, who played a small role in Assassin's Creed, so maybe he could be his James Bond, and if they can get Adam Arkapaw to be the cinematographer that would great also. He did both Macbeth and Assassin's Creed.

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  • Posts: 7,405
    Denbigh wrote: »
    Thinking about it some more. I'd also be up for seeing Justin Kurzel direct Bond 26. He directed the 2015 version of Macbeth, my favourite adaptation of the original story, Assassin's Creed, which was quite bad to be honest but I put that more on the difficulty of adapting those video games, and he directed True History of the Kelly Gang, which I'm yet to see...

    ...but he has worked with Callum Turner, who played a small role in Assassin's Creed, so maybe he could be his James Bond, and if they can get Adam Arkapaw to be the cinematographer that would great also. He did both Macbeth and Assassin's Creed.

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    Kurzel would be an interesting choice, has a good visual eye! I too missed out seeing his Ned Kelly film.
    For me i still think one of the Directors considered for SP, David Mackenzie, would suit!
    Both 'Starred Up' and 'Hell or High Water' are excellent thrillers, stylish, good story teller, good with actors and he can handle an action scene well!
    So he gets my vote!
  • edited July 2020 Posts: 4,408
    Nicolas winding refn turned it down for B24 I think. He would have been a good choice.

    He’d have made something slick and stylish, no doubt but I think he’s incredibly portentous for Bond. I’m not sure we want to see 2 and a half hours of characters silently brooding and starting off into the distance.

    The obvious choices for me would be Villeneuve and Nolan (however after Tenet I think he’ll have gotten the Bond bug out of his system). If you’d have asked me a couple years ago Cary Fukunaga would’ve been near the top of my list, but I think Steve McQueen would be a fantastic choice, along with Ryan Coogler, Rian Johnson, and if it were a smaller FRWL style film then Tom Ford.

    I think these two names are terrific. If the Deadline article from 2017 is any indication then both will heavily be involved. If I remember correctly, Villenueve was the preferred choice for the Bond 25 but was too busy on Dune.

    I think Bond 26 should go to one of the following:

    Christopher Nolan

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    Denis Villeneuve

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    Benny and Josh Safdie

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    Bong Joon-Ho

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    Edgar Wright

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    Rian Johnson

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    Cary Fukunaga

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  • DenbighDenbigh UK
    Posts: 5,970
    Or Justin Kurzel

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  • LocqueLocque Escaped from a Namur prison
    edited July 2020 Posts: 262
    Bong Joon-Ho is way too much in demand right now: after Parasite, he can pretty much make any movie he wants, he's not going to do a Bond movie.

    Unless both Tenet and Dune flop terribly, the same goes for Nolan and Villeneuve.

    The thing with well established directors like that, is that they're used to a degree of creative freedom that Eon may be unwilling to give them. And even if they do get creative control would that be such a good thing?
    I like Christopher Nolan as much as the next guy, but do I really want to see a Bond movie told in reverse chronological order with philosophical discussions on the nature of time, love, and memory?

    I think I'd prefer one helmed by an unknown but decent journeyman ala John Glen.
  • CraigMooreOHMSSCraigMooreOHMSS Dublin, Ireland
    Posts: 8,207
    Bong Joon-Ho? All of his films (while good) feature a strong anti-capitalist, anti-establishment message. Bond is an agent of the establishment. I'd rather not see a Bond film where the Queen turns out to be the lead villain.
  • echoecho 007 in New York
    Posts: 6,277
    What if they gave Lee Tamahori a second chance? He could only go up...
  • Posts: 727
    Neil Drucman
  • ThunderfingerThunderfinger Das Boot Hill
    Posts: 45,489
    Bond is an agent of the establishment. I'd rather not see a Bond film where the Queen turns out to be the lead villain.

    That would be too real, and ruin the propaganda effect of the series.
  • DenbighDenbigh UK
    edited July 2020 Posts: 5,970
    Bong Joon-Ho? All of his films (while good) feature a strong anti-capitalist, anti-establishment message. Bond is an agent of the establishment. I'd rather not see a Bond film where the Queen turns out to be the lead villain.
    Although Bond questioning the morals of his own country is something that would be very interesting in my opinion. There'd still be a main villain, but the events of the film pulling what he's fighting for into question. I'd be down. If done right. Although that's coming from someone whose not very patriotic. I like The Crown though haha :D
  • CraigMooreOHMSSCraigMooreOHMSS Dublin, Ireland
    Posts: 8,207
    Bond is an agent of the establishment. I'd rather not see a Bond film where the Queen turns out to be the lead villain.

    That would be too real, and ruin the propaganda effect of the series.

    It just wouldn't be entertaining.
  • LocqueLocque Escaped from a Namur prison
    Posts: 262
    Denbigh wrote: »
    Bong Joon-Ho? All of his films (while good) feature a strong anti-capitalist, anti-establishment message. Bond is an agent of the establishment. I'd rather not see a Bond film where the Queen turns out to be the lead villain.
    Although Bond questioning the morals of his own country is something that would be very interesting in my opinion. They'd still be a main villain, but the events of the film pulling what he's fighting for into question. I'd be up down. If done right. Although that's coming from someone whose not very patriotic. I like The Crown though haha :D
    QoS is fairly anti-capitalist, so it's not impossible.

  • JamesBondKenyaJamesBondKenya Danny Boyle laughs to himself
    Posts: 2,730
    Locque wrote: »
    Denbigh wrote: »
    Bong Joon-Ho? All of his films (while good) feature a strong anti-capitalist, anti-establishment message. Bond is an agent of the establishment. I'd rather not see a Bond film where the Queen turns out to be the lead villain.
    Although Bond questioning the morals of his own country is something that would be very interesting in my opinion. They'd still be a main villain, but the events of the film pulling what he's fighting for into question. I'd be up down. If done right. Although that's coming from someone whose not very patriotic. I like The Crown though haha :D
    QoS is fairly anti-capitalist, so it's not impossible.

    Not necessarily. It’s anti political more than anything showing shady government deals. One could even argue its anti environmentalist as the villain is supposedly an environmentalist.
  • DenbighDenbigh UK
    edited July 2020 Posts: 5,970
    So I finally watched True History of the Kelly Gang, and it was really interesting. Very different to Macbeth and Assassins Creed, but I really enjoyed it. Not everyone may, but I would just love to see what this guy could do with a bigger budget and more importantly a James Bond film - as I've mentioned before.

    I didn't realise that Nicholas Hoult was in True History, and was a really interesting performance and shows a different side to him as an actor. So who knows maybe Kurzel could have him be his James Bond, or as we all know, Callum Turner could. As Kurzel has worked with both of these actors.

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