The Bond franchise is building to a climax next year, with Daniel Craig potentially stepping down as the suave superspy following the debut of Bond 25. However, as excited as many fans are about the next installment in the series, it recently hit a setback with the departure of 28 Days Later's Danny Boyle from behind the camera. Now, the movie may be pressing pause to figure out which filmmaker will step in and take the franchise in a fresh direction. Yet, I'd argue the proposed story for Bond 25 seems tailor-made for Kathryn Bigelow to step in and work her magic.
The first thing worth mentioning is that the Bond franchise (along with other blockbuster series) has been pitched to Kathryn Bigelow below, specifically by Sony head honcho Amy Pascal. Addressing these opportunities to take on AAA blockbuster movies, the Zero Dark Thirty director opened up to Variety last year and noted she's currently more interested in films that appeal to her sense of journalism than pure entertainment. The director said:
Those opportunities are out there, and I'm grateful. I'm just more drawn to a journalistic aspect of film. That opens up very specific avenues as opposed to more comforting avenues. It's a responsibility I'm excited to pursue, whereas something that has less content is less compelling to me.
That's what makes Danny Boyle's exit from Bond 25 feel like such a unique opportunity for Kathryn Bigelow. Though the film is still in development, and we don't know too much about it yet, some details that have surfaced in the wake of Boyle's departure have suggested that Bond 25 have suggested a story that leans into current headlines, with recent reports noting that the proposed story will focus on the "modern-day Cold War." With a real-life conflict serving as the backdrop of the newest installment in the 007 mythology, this could very well become the premise to pique Kathryn Bigelow's interest.
With all of this said, I also want to note the fact that a Bond film is right up Kathryn Bigelow's alley from a pure filmmaking point of view. With her work on Point Break back in the 1990s, she showed that she could stylistically do gritty action. Just look at the now famous chase scene from that classic heist film, below!
Moreover, with films like The Hurt Locker and Detroit she showed us what she could do in the realm of sustained tension. If she could combine all of those elements together with the budget and reputation that the Bond franchise is known for having (she has mostly worked on relatively-smaller films throughout her career) then we could have something very different and very enjoyable on our hands.
Then there's the simple fact that we've never had a female director on a James Bond movie. It's no secret that the franchise kind of needs a big shot of adrenaline in the wake of the polarizing Spectre, and a big part of that could involve bringing in a filmmaker with a decidedly distinct point of view. It's not that any of the male directors who have worked on recent Bond films like Casino Royale, Quantum of Solace, Skyfall, or Spectre have done bad jobs, but bringing in fresh blood that's notably different from previous filmmakers could work wonders on the path to giving the franchise a new flavor.
Of course, tying all of this back together, the biggest key would be selling Kathryn Bigelow on the opportunity. There's no indication that she has been approached for Bond 25, and her previous statements about franchise filmmaking have made it clear that she would probably need to be convinced to take on the job. Having said all of that, the idea of doing a Bond movie based on the current state of Russia-America relations could be the plot point to bring her into the fold, and her talents as a Hollywood legend could make Bond 25 one to remember.
All in all, that's my take, but what's yours? Let us know what you think of Kathryn Bigelow as the possible filmmaker to take on Bond 25 in the poll, below! Until we learn more about the film, you can check out our movie premiere guide to stay in-the-loop on all of the movies that will debut on the big screen in 2018!
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