It has already been nearly two years sinceSpectrecame out and yet,James Bond 25hasn’t even started filming. That is going to change soon as Eon and MGM recently announced the sequel will arrive in theaters on June 06, 2025. It is highly suspected that Daniel Craig is going to return for this one, but no official announcement has been made yet. So who is in line to directJames Bond 25? The rumored shortlist has just been revealed and it includes three very top-notch filmmakers who could all bring something very different to the table.
According toDeadline, the three men in line to directJames Bond 25, who have all reportedly had meetings with the producers, includeDenis Villeneuve(Blade Runner 2049), David Mackenzie (Hell or High Water) and Yann Demange (‘71). As it stands, Demange is rumored to be the frontrunner, despite the fact that he is probably the least well-known of the three names in that list. The report also notes that Christopher Nolan and Edgar Wright, whose names have been thrown around on recent press tours in regards toJames Bond 25, aren’t likely in the running and would probably be better suited for a reboot onceDaniel Craigsurrenders the mantle of007.
Starting with Yann Demange, despite not being a household name just yet, he is very much on the rise. His movie'71was critically heralded and his upcoming movieWhite Boy Rickis set for release next year and stars Matthew McConaughey, which should help put him on the map a bit more. He seems to stand to gain the most from landing a gig likeJames Bond 25as that would be a huge deal for anyone, but especially someone who hasn’t had the chance to take on a big franchise before.
As for Denis Villeneuve andDavid Mackenzie, their Hollywood stock is on the rise in a big way, with or withoutJames Bond 25. Interestingly enough, both of them had Best Picture nominated movies at the most recent Oscars withArrivalandHell or High Waterrespectively. Villeneuve is about to get a big bump withBlade Runner 2049, a long-awaited sequel to one of the most beloved sci-fi movies ever made. He is also attached to direct the reboot ofDune, which is another massive potential franchise. So he may be a bit busy and, according to Deadline, scheduling conflicts could get in the way of him ultimately landing the gig.
David Mackenzie is currently set to directOutlaw King, which tells the story of Scottish king Robert the Bruce, who most know fromBraveheart. The project is rumored to be going to Netflix withHell or High Waterstars Chris Pine and Ben Foster both rumored to be starring. In any case, it sounds likeJames Bond 25will probably be in good hands no matter who, if any of these three winds up with the gig.
Deadline notes that a decision will likely be made by the end of the summer as production is going to have to get moving with a release date now set.Producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccolistill haven’t announced a distributor yet either, but Sony Warner Bros, Annapurna, Fox and Universal are all interested in the rights to distribute futureJames Bondmovies. With production drawing nearer, all of these burning questions aboutJames Bond 25are likely to be answered very soon.
