Things seemed to finally running smoothly for Bond 25. Daniel Craig confirmed last year that he would reprise James Bond one last time, and in March, it was officially announced that Trainspotting director Danny Boyle would helm the project and work on the script with frequent collaborator John Hodge. However, word came in this week that Boyle departed Bond 25 due to creative differences, and now it's being reported that instead of simply looking for a director to replace Boyle, MGM and Eon want to go back to the drawing board with Bond 25, which could lead to the movie being delayed.
According to Variety, after Danny Boyle left Bond 25, MGM and Eon put the word out for a writer or writer-director to join the project. Apparently the bigwigs at those companies don't simply want to find a new director to fill Boyle's shoes, but want to recruit someone to work on the story since the script that Boyle drafted with John Hodge didn't meet the approval of Daniel Craig and Eon producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli. In other words, major rewrites are in store. If that happens, then Bond 25 wouldn't meet December production start, subsequently requiring the release date to be pushed back from its current November 8, 2019 slot.
What's interesting about all this is that even before Danny Boyle boarded Bond 25, there was already a script around written by Neal Purvis and Robert Wade, who co-wrote the last six James Bond movies. If this report is accurate, apparently there isn't any interest in returning to this earlier draft, with the goal now being to start Bond 25 from scratch. That's a bold move, but if MGM and Eon feels that's the best course of action to deliver the best Bond 25 as possible, then better to go down that path than churn out a product they don't like.
Whatever the next step for Bond 25 is, one thing is clear: Daniel Craig isn't going anywhere. While at one time he insisted he wasn't interested in playing James Bond again after Spectre, he's getting a $25 million paycheck and "an enviable amount of creative control" for changing his mind. As far as directors go, previous candidates Denis Villeneuve and David Mackenzie are no longer available because they're working on the Dune reboot and Gemstone TV series, respectively. Mission: Impossible - Fallout director Christopher McQuarrie is rumored to have been floated as a replacement, although he has indicated he would like to do an original movie next rather than stay in franchise territory.
Stay tuned to CinemaBlend for continuing coverage on what's happening with Bond 25, but for now, look through our 2018 release schedule to find out what movies arrive in theaters later this year.
