'Slumdog Millionaire' Director Danny Boyle Top Pick To Helm 'Bond 25'
Joining the list of notable directors vying to helm the next Bond movie is Danny Boyle, who is best known for Slumdog Millionaire.
Searching For A Director
Star Daniel Craig is already on board to reprise his role as 007 for Bond 25, due for release in November 2019, which means studios MGM and Eon need to land a director as soon as possible. Boyle is reportedly high on their list of potentials, though nothing formal has been agreed as of yet.
The Trainspotting director is very eager to helm a Bond movie, and although he's in the midst of developing another film for Working Title, there's no cast attached yet, so he could still push the project back to accommodate Bond. Eon and MGM tapped Boyle to direct a Bond flick as far back as 2015's Spectre and 2012's Skyfall, but the stars never aligned.
MGM, who still holds domestic distribution rights for the franchise, is expected to distribute once again. Denis Villeneuve, who directed Arrival and Blade Runner 2049, was also in the running at one stage but couldn't commit due to working on Dune.
Christopher Nolan was considered but advised he'd only take over the reins when it came time to reboot the franchise. '71 director Yann Demange was also tapped as a possible director for Bond 25, but there's still a strong desire from the powers that be to get a bigger name.
Tough Act To Follow
Sam Mendes directed Spectre and Skyfall, both of which became the highest-grossing films in the series to date. Skyfall banked $1.1 billion globally as well as netted some of the most positive reviews for a Bond movie ever.
Spectre earned $880 million at the global box office, and although it didn't hit quite the same high note with critics, the film didn't receive quite the drubbing as previous installment Quantum of Solace either.
Mendes confirmed following his work on Spectre that he would be exiting the franchise to focus on non-Bond movies going forward, leading Eon and MGM to scramble to find his replacement.
Boyle is most well-known for the Oscar-winning Slumdog Millionaire, as well as Steve Jobs, 127 Hours, and of course, his breakout, the Brit classic Trainspotting.
He directed the follow-up T2 Trainspotting, which was released last year to a joyous reception from longtime fans of the first movie. Boyle would certainly be an interesting choice for Bond, given his slate of eclectic, often boundary-pushing films.
