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How do Eon go about hiring a director? Is it just a series of meetings trying to find a middle ground on details like budget and the type of direction they want the films to go in? Does a director pitch an idea, or is that solely the purview of the writer?
Does Demange becoming available alter your view of the situation with Villeneuve and Eon? I honestly don't understand how these things work, so any insight would be appreciated.
Other than that I imagine they start early writing/treatments and then approach directors (or at first their agents) they want. Dependent on availability, meetings etc they’ll pick one and from there the director will be in place for official pre-production. How much they want to get involved in the writing and what story contributions they have is dependent on the director and of course EoN (some will even bring on their writers they’ve worked with for some drafts).
Barbara Broccolli on hiring Sam Mendes, as quoted in Some Kind of Hero
This makes a lot of sense. A producer I’m working with on The Circle has told me: in development it’s her show with the director, but once principal starts, she lets the director go with it (but still supervises from “the back row”).
Apparently Mendes was hired early on but worked as a story consultant.
So yeah, they may well get the director earlier in the process if it’s someone of Mendes’ prestige (and in my first post I kinda used pre-production in slightly the wrong context. It’d still be development). I know Campbell was hired for CR and GE after early development/scriptwriting but different films/director I guess.
I remember that. Mendes couldnt be hired officially as director at the time (late 2009-ish) as MGM were going into bankruptcy and when EoN officially appoint a director, contracturally that triggers a development payment from MGM to EON (to undertake development and pre-production).
So the fudge was to hire Mendes as a “creative consultant” to allow him to work on the project but not trigger the payment. It was always intended he would be the director.
Again, referring to the Some Kind of Hero book, development had been done on Bond 23 with Purvis, Wade and Peter Morgan prior to Mendes becoming involved (and the subsequent script, “Once Upon A Spy” being thrown away).
That makes sense. And it’s interesting that they had some early progress on Bond 23 prior to Mendes (just from limited expirience on smaller films if a director has to be chosen there’s usually some sort of early development/concept and crucial development/script work with that director becomes part of official pre-production, but this may not be the case in every scenario/at this level).
Then again early work and what a film becomes under a director/producer team can be so different anyway.
For Bond 26, I would prefer Demange over Villeneuve to be honest. Same with David Mackenzie, who I think was rumored to be on the shortlist for NTTD, too. Sadly, Mackenzie is now busy with other movies.
Both are great directors.
One could swap out A Quiet Place for Bond, and Nichols for Nolan, but his explanation is exactly why I don't think Nolan will direct an EoN Bond film.
I’m at a loss, a little confused, but still believe he was/is the number one director EoN wanted (I have no dog in this, as I had my own favourites), but, as this guy mentions Bond near the end, and I stated earlier about stops and starts at EoN HQ, it seems they’re really taking their time for the next era— much longer than what I had originally heard.
Oh well, Villeneuve post D3 then (I’m just more shocked by the pause I was told about seems to be much more than that).
EDIT: More confusion:
Deadline is saying smart money is its D3, but Villeneuve has stated time and again that he needed a break from this universe, and that there was a project that he wasn’t at liberty to discuss, that needs to see the light of day….
So if this announcement is D3, then what happened to the other project???
Yes, I still think he was talking B26– and if D3 is the next film, then I’d be more convinced.
Anyways, color me confused…
https://deadline.com/2024/06/dune-3-denis-villenueve-coming-holiday-2026-next-monsterverse-march-2027-warner-bros-legendary-release-dates-1235986164/
And won't there be some pressure from Amazon at some point?
Personally, I wouldn't be sad if they choose another director, but now I fear we are not seeing a movie until 2028/2029...
I have absolutely no idea, @Kojak007 , but my gut is certainly feeling like it’s a safe bet to say no Bond in ‘25 (obviously), and I’d certainly scratch out ‘26 at this point, and I hope I’m way off on this speculation.
The industry is a mess. And I heard about stops and starts out of EoN HQ, now this news (and yes I am certain my little bits of intel of Villeneuve being their number one choice was good intel and seemingly fit logistically), and this guy reporting that his sources say it sounds like EoN is taking their time, I can’t see anything happening before ‘27?
Who knows at this point. What made sense before the strikes and covid , doesn’t make sense anymore.
I posted an article on another thread about the state of the industry and how the studios are seemingly punishing the writers for striking, they’re greenlighting less, they’re shrinking writing rooms, and essentially there’s a collective re-starting of the industry. It’s a slow process as these wheels turn, and I think many producers are pausing to see where their IPs fit in the changing landscape…
As far as Bond is concerned, I’m certainly at a loss.
It seems pretty unlikely it'll be him though, but who knows. I don't think EON would wait for him or any other specific director if it didn't suit them, and we're obviously not privy to a lot of this behind the scenes stuff, even if him and the producers did in fact meet (ie. maybe there's a situation where Villeneuve didn't think he was best suited to it, or he didn't want to commit, especially with Bond 26 not even being in pre-production yet... I mean, perhaps even him and the producers didn't see eye to eye creatively).
Barbara Broccoli is smart and knows that Bond is always an event film, perhaps one of the few franchises left to get people into theaters.
She'll know what to do.
Of this I have no doubt.
https://www.worldofreel.com/blog/2024/6/29/dune-messiah-starts-production-august-2025
Not sure how reliable that information is.
I wonder what other directors are on EONs list if Villeneuve is indeed unavailable.
I would support her, as she is an action director. Which is something that EON should look at instead of artsy type directors.
I don't know anything about Villeneuve except as has been posted here. Is it necessary to have a big name director? I have to think there are plenty of younger, hungry directors capable of making a great Bond film. With the kind of planning and pre-production that goes into a Bond film, I am sure any number of directors are up to the task. Much has been written here about Nolan and Villeneuve, but are they so special that their Bond films would tower over others? Mendes made a very good Bond film, but I prefer the two that preceded it. I don't look at SF and say, it's this and that, and above all it's Mendes. It's just a good Bond film. As we know, it begins with a good script. Get that right and it may not be necessary to have a directing god in charge.
Depends on what you mean by artsy types I’d say. Directors like Mendes, Gilbert, Young, and Fukunaga were directors with experience in different genres, often drama (and usually smaller or mid budget ones before they did Bond). The closest to an artsy director would be Forster, but even then he was simply a former film school student filmmaker who did a couple of very low budget thrillers and then managed to get bigger jobs in Hollywood.
I do agree artsy directors/those associated with arthouse cinema aren’t ideal for Bond or at least should be viewed for that job sceptically (I mean, you wouldn’t get David Lynch to direct Bond, great as he is), but they’ve never gone for those types. I think there’s a difference between that and a director with a knack for creative storytelling and a sense of style.
I guess what I'm saying is that I want EON to try people who aren't Oscar-bait type of directors (and certain other cast and crew) to do certain jobs. Try a less obvious choice(s), like pre Daniel Craig.
They apparently aren't promoting from within. As they did with Peter Hunt and John Glen.
Forster had directed six films before QoS. "Former film student filmmaker" is a bit harsh.
Lynch is sui generis. All of the other directors chosen had more of an interest in straightforward narrative film.
Depends. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with Oscar winners/nominees, should they be suited for the Bond film they’re trying to make. So long as it’s based on their unique talents/what they’d bring rather than just the name recognition.
Anyway, for me there’s a difference between a Lewis Gilbert or Sam Mendes who’d had that level of prestige prior to Bond and someone like, say, Tom Hooper.
Different times. Back in the 60s and even 70s there was still something of a studio system in British filmmaking where it wasn’t as uncommon for the editor in a certain studio/production company to become the 2nd Unit Director, and over time the director. Even then that kind of ascension only happened with Hunt and Glen.