Bond 25, the untitled new installment of the Daniel Craig iteration of venerable 007 franchise has had a pretty rocky start.
It didn’t seem like it was headed that way, after Sam Mendes’ incredible effort with Skyfall, a film that landed on many a “Best Of” list in 2012, it was followed by the painful Spectre – a movie that basically tanked all of the director’s goodwill with fans (remember when they revealed Blofeld was behind everything that had happened since Casino Royale?).
EON Productions needed a fresh start, and it seemed like they might get it with Danny Boyle. The Trainspotting/28 Days Later director, who has always had a bit of an edge to his filmmaking seemed like just the right choice for a series that was instantly stagnating again. But not long after he had signed aboard, the oft-cited “creative differences” was given as reason for his immediate departure.
Today, some good news came, as Barbara Broccoli and Daniel Craig announced that Cary Joji Fukunaga will be taking over the director’s chair for the new installment. Fukunaga is best known for directing the entire first season of True Detective (ya know, the good one), as well as one of the better regarded Netflix Original Films, Beasts of No Nation. Notably, he’s also the first American to ever helm a Bond film.
Fukunaga is no stranger to his own behind the scenes creative bristling. He and True Detective creator Nic Pizzolatto infamously did not get along during their True Detective partnership, which caused the former to not return for the second season (highlighting just how much Fukunaga brought to that project). And the filmmaker was also set to direct IT for Warner Bros until creative differences caused a split there as well.
So, the fireworks here might end up being pretty fascinating to watch. In the meantime, great choice for what is hopefully another creative revitalization of the old chap.
And once upon a time, Steven Spielberg was rejected as a Bond director because he wasn’t British.
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