Bond 25: Danny Boyle Will Direct If Script Is Approved

A new rumor suggests that Danny Boyle will direct Bond 25 later this year, but only if the script proves acceptable. Speculation about the next Bond director began immediately after Skyfall and Spectre helmer Sam Mendes announced he would leave the series , and Oscar-winner Boyle became an instant favorite to replace Mendes for is shaping up to be Daniel Craig's final film as the iconic British spy.

Boyle's Bond prospects seemed to improve even more after both Denis Villeneuve and Christopher Nolan removed themselves from directing Bond 25 , with Villeneuve saying he prefers to focus on potentially adapting Dune onto the big screen. However, Boyle was thought to no longer have interest in Bond after it was announced that he had signed on to direct Richard Curtis' next project , a period musical. Speculation said Boyle could only helm Bond if the film was pushed back from its planned November 2019 release date. While it doesn't look like that will happen – at least not yet – Boyle is reportedly still interested in directing Bond 25… but there's a catch.

Daily Mail columnist Baz Bamigboye reports that Danny Boyle could still direct Bond 25 later this year. However, Boyle's participation depends on one big factor: the script. Boyle's Trainspotting collaborator John Hodge was previously reported to be working on a Bond 25 script separate from the one reportedly under development from long-time Bond writers Neal Purvis and Robert Wade. Indeed, most thought Hodge's participation gave Boyle the inside track on landing the directing gig.

Bamigboye notes in his report that producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G.Wilson, as well as star Daniel Craig, are “willing this to happen.” So, it sounds like Craig very much wants Boyle to take over the Bond directing reins (the duo previously collaborated for the Opening Ceremony for the 2012 Summer Olympic Games). Craig helped revitalize the Bond series with his work in Casino Royale in 2006, which was directed by James Bond veteran Martin Campbell. After a hiccup with Marc Forster's Quantum of Solace, though, Sam Mendes' Skyfall became the franchise's most successful installment to date. Unfortunately, Craig and Mendes' second collaboration, Spectre , wasn't as successful. Still, Craig is willing to return as Bond for fifth and potentially last time. The question is, who will be shepherding him through that film?

Danny Boyle certainly has all the qualifications for a great James Bond film. Boyle has handled multiple genres over the course of his career and has a good handle on story and character development. Although he may not be a traditional action director, neither was Mendes… nor several other action movie directors. Mendes got the Bond gig, most believed, to bring more human dimension to the series, while still executing the action. Mendes did a great job on Skyfall but, unfortunately, became more of a generic orchestrator of absurd set pieces on Spectre. Since producers are reportedly striving to get Boyle aboard for Bond 25 would indicate their hopes to get back to the atmosphere and characterization that fueled Skyfall's success – and perhaps get away from what happened with Spectre and Quantum of Solace