It's been more than two years since James Bond last shot his way onto the silver screen, with Spectre acting as the 24th film in the 007 canon. During the interim, a lot of talk has focused around who would direct the next film, whether Daniel Craig would be returning to the role for a fifth installment, and if we'd be seeing it any time soon. Well, we've got some definite answers to all of those questions, as the tentatively titled Bond 25 has officially been set for release on October 25th, 2019 in the UK. Here in the States, we'll be getting the film two weeks later, on November 8th.
As previously discussed but now officially confirmed, Daniel Craig and Danny Boyle will, in fact, be working together to bring Bond 25 to the screen. Along for the ride is frequent Boyle collaborator and screen writer John Hodge, who will bring the unique brand of wordsmithing he brought to such classics as Shallow Grave and Trainspotting to the world of international espionage. With the team set, and a production start date of December 3, 2018 in the pipeline, this film is about to become a reality.
The road to Bond 25's current state has been long and hard. With director speculation hitting a pitch as fervent as whether Daniel Craig would actually slash his wrists before considering returning, the film's fortunes were uncertain--at least with Craig as the lead. Regardless, as the project's 2019 home drew closer, Craig's involvement became more secure, leading to an official announcement during his appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, and Boyle's move of hiring Hodge to work on the script basically confirmed his involvement without outright announcing it was a done deal.
If that wasn't enough, the distribution rights to Bond 25, and the franchise at large, have been up for grabs for some time. This made for some even more interesting drama, as everyone from Warner Bros to Apple had a hankering for a piece of spy pie. With Variety's recent reporting of the film's status, the distribution picture has become a lot clearer, and just as interesting. Domestically, MGM will release Bond 25, with franchise newcomer Universal Studios taking up the distribution rights for the international portion of the film's release. So, when you see the Universal logo unfurl before the latest film's gun barrel, don't think you're watching some shoddy bootleg.
Over the 50-plus years the James Bond franchise has operated, the anticipation for the creative team behind each film has always been the first signs of Bond Fever. Now with Bond 25 firmly planted on a trajectory towards production and release, the next questions will be who else is returning from the Sam Mendes fray, what new additions will be cast, and what the hell is the title going to be? All will be revealed between now and Bond 25's October 25th, 2019 release date in the UK, and in terms of film production, that's all the time in the world.
