Whoa! Didn’t see this coming.. the other day we just heard about BOND 23 being put on hold because of financing problems due to the uncertainty of MGM’s fate, the producers did mention writers but nothing about directors and now according to Heat Vision, Oscar winning Sam Mendes (American Beauty, Jarhead, Revolutionary Road, Away We Go) is in final talks to direct the 23rd James Bond installment, with the story written by Neal Purvis, Robert Wade and Peter Morgan…
Not only that, the report says the project has now been put on a fast track with filming to start as early as June and they expect the movie to hit theaters in 2011. I’m guessing in the month of November because that’s usually when we get to have our Martinis shaken, not stirred.
Quite an odd choice for a director, this is after all, going to be Mendes’ first action film but then again, producers Michael Wilson and Barbara Broccoli also went with an arthouse director, Marc Forster, for the previous film Quantum of Solace which received mixed responses from the fans. What made them gamble on someone like Mendes instead of your typical action director, is beyond me but this will reunite Mendes with Daniel Craig since Road To Perdition, which had some action elements to it. On the other hand, I am more curious about Mendes’ other project PRIEST, seems like with BOND 23, PRIEST would have to take the backseat. But we Bond fans should see this as something good because at least BOND 23 is moving forward despite whatever is going to happen to MGM.
