After a long-gestating start – which included re-securing its star Daniel Craig – production on BOND 25 is ready to kick off with a bang. The final pieces of the puzzle have fallen into place with rights holders Eon and MGM confirming that Danny Boyle will direct the film and that Universal has won international distribution. It’s all happening people.
Eon Productions' Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli put out a statement yesterday (via THR) that confirmed Boyle’s duties as director after months of speculation and reports, as well as that the movie will begin shooting at the legendary Pinewood Studios this December. Merry Christmas indeed, folks.
We are delighted to announce that the exceptionally talented Danny Boyle will be directing Daniel Craig in his fifth outing as James Bond in the 25th installment of the franchise. We will begin shooting Bond 25 at Pinewood Studios in December with our partners at MGM and are thrilled that Universal will be our international distributor.
As well as securing international distribution rights, Universal will also have rights to the physical home entertainment, including Blu-rays, etc. This comes after a long battle between studios for distribution rights to the franchise after Sony’s contract expired with the release of SPECTRE in 2015. Studios like Warner Bros., Fox, Sony, and even Apple joined in the battle, with smaller studio Annapurna winning domestic distribution. Eon Productions and MGM still own the franchise rights as a whole.
Now that Universal has nabbed their rights and the studio has confirmed Boyle to direct (off a script from John Hodge) we can now focus on other casting matters, story details, and all that other fun stuff. Boyle is a fantastic choice for Bond, and he will certainly bring a kinetic energy and style to the character. Does anyone have any money down that Christoph Waltz's Blofeld will return for this one? Should we start a pool?
BOND 25 is set to arrive November 8, 2019.