There was a lot of hemming and hawing before Sam Mendes finally decided to not direct a follow up to SKYFALL. But production on a new film isn’t going to slow down without Mendes on board.
Reuters is reporting that MGM Chairman and CEO Gary Barber had a conference call with investors and he spoke about where the studio stands regarding Bond 24:
We are very excited about the franchise, we look forward to announcing a director soon.
I’m not sure if that means that they are still looking for a director and hope to find one soon or that they have found the person they want to direct the next Bond film but can’t confirm anything just yet. Gary Barber also goes on to add:
We are currently developing the screenplay and working with our partners. We look forward to developing the script soon and signing a director. We are hoping within the next 3 years it will be released.
Three years may seem like a long time but it’s not unreasonably long considering there was a four year wait between QUANTUM OF SOLACE and SKYFALL. MGM could very easily rush a Bond movie into theaters to capitalize on the goodwill created by SKYFALL but I’m glad to see they are holding back. SKYFALL’s success in theaters wasn’t just because of Sam Mendes‘ directing. 007 had major exposure leading up to the film’s release (Summer Olympics opening ceremony, Bond 50th year anniversary) and those are things the studio can’t really duplicate for Bond 24.
MGM knows that SKYFALL set the bar incredibly high for the next film in the franchise but I think they are invested in making a quality film that keeps the Bond brand strong and are not creating a new film “just because.” Daniel Craig may only do two more Bond movies so it’ll be very interesting to see who they pick to direct the next Bond film before the series gets a bit of a overhaul.
Bond 24 should be in theaters sometime in 2016.