Apparently so, if this article in The Hollywood Reporter is any indication:It's Mendes. Sam Mendes.
The British helmer is in negotiations to direct the 23rd installment of the venerable James Bond franchise.
Production is being fast-tracked and could begin as early as June with an eye toward a 2011 release. Plans for the film are moving forward despite a possible sale of MGM. Sony co-produced and distributed the most recent installment of the 007 series with MGM.
Bond regulars Neal Purvis and Robert Wade are writing, along with "Frost/Nixon" scribe Peter Morgan. Michael Wilson and Barbara Broccoli are producing. Daniel Craig will reprise his role as 007.
The film will be Mendes' first action-heavy project, although his 2005 effort "Jarhead" was set amid U.S. war in Kuwait. Mendes' last directorial effort, the road-trip dramedy "Away We Go," grossed $10 million domestically last summer.
Marc Forster directed the previous Bond film, 2008's "Quantum of Solace," which grossed $586 million worldwide.
Mendes is repped by CAA.
-Thoughts on the choice?
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I like the choice, but I don't love it, just because this really isn't the type of franchise that a director with a "vision" really is meant for. I think he could do a really great job if the film is more Casino Royale than Quantum of Solace, but if it's more like the latter than the former, he might not have been the best pick...
ReplyDeleteConsidering his track record lately, I'm not too excited. I'm a HUGE Bond fan, and any new news I take very seriously. I think Mendes can handle the quiet moments well, but the few action set pieces I've seen from him have been poorly staged; that's what we got from Quantum of Solace. I guess we'll just have to wait and see.
ReplyDeleteYea, picking a director for a Bond movie is insanely difficult, because essentially the director is just there to make sure the vision of the producers are fulfilled. That's why until recently it had been lesser known directors. Overall, they could have done a lot worse, but I'm not sure this is a great project for Mendes.
ReplyDeleteI personally think this is a fantastic choice. It offers something very different for him. Quite honestly, I think that he's only directed one action scene (the shoot-out between Tom Hanks & Jude Law in "Road to Perdition"), since I wouldn't consider "Jarhead" to really have any action scenes.
ReplyDeleteNonetheless, that scene in "Road to Perdition" was one of the best in the entire film, imo. He's more than capable of handling a number of intense dialog scenes as we've seen in basically all of his films.
It just seems like a great choice to me, but I could be wrong.
He cold knock it out of the park, we'll see. It just doesn't seem like exactly the right choice for the franchise, but I'm a Mendes fan (even Away We Go, though I didn't love it), so I hope he does great with it.
ReplyDeleteI heard a rumor several months back that Michael Sheen may play Blofeld if they choose to have that character in the film. That would be awesome.
ReplyDeleteIt could happen, especially since Peter Morgan is co-writing it...
ReplyDeleteI've also heard rumors that Christoph Waltz was offered to play Blofeld as well. I think it'd be extremely interesting to see either actor attempt that part (although I think Waltz would probably be a better choice over all).
ReplyDeleteI'd like to see Waltz not just play villains, but he'd be great in it...
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with you; I'm really interested to see him in a very different role. I'm not sure if you feel the same way, but I hope he doesn't end up getting typecast...
ReplyDeleteI think it's something that he might have to deal with, but at the moment I think he's just enjoying the ride...
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