While it is still unclear who will take over the role of James Bond after Daniel Craig, Sam Mendes, to whom we owe Skyfall and Spectre, believes that the next film in the 007 saga should be directed by a director.
Started in the 1960s, the James Bond franchise now has 25 films and all of them were directed by men. Asked by the Deadline site, Sam Mendes, to whom we owe Skyfall and Spectre, believes that since the character must evolve, the same goes for the technical team.
“I don’t envy Barbara [Brocolli] to have to continue the saga after Daniel’s 5 films [Craig]. He breathed new life into the franchise, and it’s so huge that it’s very hard for a young actor to fit into it.
I think that if the actor who plays Bond must evolve, the director must also evolve. It would be wonderful to see a woman lead Bond.
The historic producer of the 007 franchise, Barbara Broccoli, recently told Deadline that discussions were underway on how to evolve the saga.
“We’re figuring out where to go with 007, we’re discussing it. There’s no script, and we can’t come up with one until we decide how we’re going to approach the next movie, because it’s really about reinventing Bond. We are reinventing who he is and that takes time. I would say that the shooting will take place in at least two years.”
A complete reinvention of the character is therefore under consideration. But beyond the hero, it’s the whole James Bond saga that needs to be renewed.
Universal Pictures International France Ana de Armas in “Dying Can Wait”
The women who gravitate around 007 can no longer be considered mere stooges. Dying can wait has already allowed the characters to evolve in this direction. Future films will therefore have to take over. Offering the staging of the next James Bond to a director would bring a different sensitivity to the saga.
Last July, actress Ana de Armas, who plays secret agent Paloma in Cary Fukunaga’s film, agreed, saying: “There’s no need for a James Bond woman“.
She then went on to state: “There are novels, which take us into a whole world of fantasy in which James Bond gravitates. Therefore, what I would like is for the female roles in the 007 films to be portrayed in a different way.”
And a director such as Kathryn Bigelow, Chloé Zhao, Gina Prince-Bythewood or even Patty Jenkins would be perfect to start a new arc in this cult saga.