On the surface the 2025 movie schedule is operating according to plan, but as always the movement going on in the shadows is equally important. Fans eagerly awaiting all things connected to James Bond 26 would know that, as recent movement has led to brand new speculation that has another Oscar-winning director is "in talks" to snag the gig. And whether or not you’re one of those fans hoping Christopher Nolan lands this job, it’s a possibility that’s equally exciting.
Alfonso Cuarón Is Supposedly In Talks For Bond 26
Amazon-MGM’s rumored Bond 26 ramp up leaves a lot of ground to be gained, especially if the 2027 release date is something those in charge want to maintain. Just as you can bet that the search for the next Commander Bond has heated up, inquiries for the next director to make it happen will also be a hotly tipped concern.
While the ever interested Christopher Nolan is still one of the favorite candidates for the gig, Cuarón has allegedly claimed that he’s in talks for the job, during a recent Masterclass for the Paris Cinema Club. Per a Twitter post from someone in attendance, this text is the source of this recent rumor:
And he does mention the idea of making the next James Bond, without mentioning the name of the franchise. 'There is indeed THIS project under discussion, and I have the desire - if it happens - to revisit this story in my own way.'
On one hand, without video of the event, it’s kind of hard to really determine the specific context of those remarks from the Roma director. However, there are three factors that make this scenario more likely, the first of which is the recent hiring of new James Bond producers Amy Pascal and David Heyman.
Heyman’s previous collaboration with Alfonso Cuarón on Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban has shown that the two parties work well together. Not to mention his reinvention of the Potter dynamic in the third film makes for a promising sign of what he could do with the James Bond legacy.
While it’s far from a done deal, the fact that the Gravity mastermind is even reportedly entertaining this idea is something - as Cuarón previously turned down a chance to dance with 007.
Christopher Nolan’s Final Cut Concerns With James Bond May No Longer Be An Issue
Per a recent report from Variety about the recent James Bond tensions that saw Amazon-MGM Studios’ creative control deal come to pass, the Tenet writer-director was still fired up to jump into the world of 00-antics. But that didn’t happen, as Nolan’s typical condition of having final cut over his projects created this dilemma:
Sources say Christopher Nolan expressed interest in directing a Bond movie following the release of Tenet. But Broccoli made clear that no director would have final cut while Bond was under her purview.
Meanwhile, another Variety story saw Alfonso Cuarón tell an audience at the Marrakech Film Festival in 2024 that he turned down an unnamed 007 adventure for the following, similarly motivated reasons:
Ages ago I was offered a Bond film, and I said, ‘Yeah, cool. Maybe Bond. I am going to do one.’ And then when the process started and I was going to shoot all the dialogue and stuff, there was a [separate] team doing all the action scenes. It kind of felt very weird. … There I learned the lesson that some films I prefer to watch and not do.
The common thread between directors like Cuarón and Nolan is the fact that a “Bond Film,” in its previous form, was something they'd rather observe than make. However, all that has changed after the Amazon-MGM deal installed new producers that might be open to some fresh pitches.
We’re at the dawn of a new age, however - one where Nolan, Cuarón, or even Bond 25’s original director Danny Boyle could potentially find themselves given carte blanche to revitalize the James Bond franchise. For someone who’s loved following this saga as long as I have, it sounds like the exact sort of thing this series needs to continue making cinematic history.
It’s happened before, through director Martin Campbell’s superb Casino Royale, and it’s high time we saw 007 get that sort of treatment again. Not to mention, if that example, along with the Alfonso Cuarón rumors have taught us anything, it’s that the second time around can be as beneficial for 00-directors as they can for the leading men who vie to slip into that iconic tuxedo.
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