Sam Mendes Confirms That He Won't Direct JAMES BOND 24

Sam Mendes Confirms That He Won't Direct JAMES BOND 24

Well, this is a disappointing way to kick off the day! Despite helming Skyfall last year (a movie which was hailed as the best Bond movie ever by some and the first in the franchise to earn over $1 billion), Sam Mendes has now 100% confirmed he won't be back for the next instalment. Read on for details!

News
By JoshWilding - Mar 06, 2013 02:03 AM EST
Filed Under: Action
Source: Empire Online


"It has been a very difficult decision not to accept Michael and Barbara’s very generous offer to direct the next Bond movie," Sam Mendes told Empire Online just weeks after Skyfall won "Best British Film" at this year's BAFTA's. "Directing Skyfall was one of the best experiences of my professional life, but I have theatre and other commitments, including productions of Charlie And The Chocolate Factory and King Lear, that need my complete focus over the next year and beyond." There had been some doubt that the director would return for the next film, although recent reports seemed to indicate otherwise, especially as writer John Logan had also agreed to return. However, Mendes isn't ruling out coming back to the franchise at some point in the future. "I feel very honoured to have been part of the Bond family and very much hope I have a chance to work with them again sometime in the future." Who would you like to see direct James Bond 24? Sound off with your thoughts in the usual place!

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JoshWilding
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A lifelong comic book fan who grew up on Spider-Man: The Animated Series in the '90s, Josh Wilding has been contributing to ComicBookMovie.com since 2009.

While he's also written for websites like Batman-News, HeyUGuys, and WhatCulture, Josh is CBM's Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic and the site's #1 contributor with nearly two decades of experience covering film and TV news (including interviews with Tom Holland, Chris Pratt, Gary Oldman, Halle Berry, Jon Bernthal, Tom Welling, and hundreds more).

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ahhmynuts
ahhmynuts - 3/6/2013, 3:18 AM
....whats wrong with you?
Spideyguy94
Spideyguy94 - 3/6/2013, 3:19 AM
Really disappointed that he's not coming back.
ahhmynuts
ahhmynuts - 3/6/2013, 3:19 AM
thats f*cked up
batkidmike
batkidmike - 3/6/2013, 3:21 AM
I would recommend Christopher Nolan.
Happy11
Happy11 - 3/6/2013, 3:26 AM
That's what's good about Bond films they each have a different style because of different directors but at the core its still Bond whether it's Connery, Moore or Craig playing the part. Tbh I think Craig should leave on a high but I wouldn't mind either way.
Jolt17
Jolt17 - 3/6/2013, 3:34 AM
What a shame, but...oh, well. Another variation shouldn't hurt, I guess! That being said, Sherlock's Paul McGuigan is my top candidate for the replacement.



Imagining Bond in such a scene has already made me greatly excited.
AlexDeLarge87
AlexDeLarge87 - 3/6/2013, 3:57 AM
Rupert Wyatt, Matthew Vaughn or Martin Campbell again could be cool.
AmazingFantasy
AmazingFantasy - 3/6/2013, 4:03 AM
Sad. Still, it's not the end of the world and their are many who can do better/equal him.
Canon38
Canon38 - 3/6/2013, 4:21 AM
NOLAN!!!!!!!!!!
Wolf89
Wolf89 - 3/6/2013, 4:23 AM
Griff is right, get an actual james bond movie right
BlackHulk
BlackHulk - 3/6/2013, 4:29 AM
While the movie was good, it was far from great. The entire movie was spent trying to protect Agent M when at the she still dies. And James Bond has no high tech gadgetry what so ever? C ya Mendes.
TheNameIsBetty
TheNameIsBetty - 3/6/2013, 4:52 AM
This is for the best. It will make Skyfall much more unique
dancingmonkey08
dancingmonkey08 - 3/6/2013, 4:57 AM
Well this is disappointing after yesterday's awesome Iron Man trailer :( After the awesome job he did with Skyfall, its disappointing he is not coming back. In the old days, directors would do whole trilogies in a few years but now directors dont seem to want to stay for anymore than one movie. I guess its the huge amount of effort and work that has to go into making movies these days, its not as easy as in the old days. Plus his reasons he gives in the article too, I guess Bond can be the one thing in his life

Still, disappointing, who could direct the next Bond movie? It wont be Christopher Nolan, he is off doing a new movie now, so who will be a great director for Bond?
PartyKiller
PartyKiller - 3/6/2013, 4:58 AM
It was a great film. Very interesting without the usual gadgets and without CGI or the typical threat of a Nuke or etc., with a stupid countdown at the end.
A simple grudge was turned into a captivating masterpiece.

It defied all the corporate logic they believe in. No young cast. No one liners or comedy moment every 3 minutes. No "Biggest threat ever". No current hot chick as a Bond Babe.
In other words you would never, EVER see JJ Abrams, Michael Bay, Nolan, Whedon, Spielberg even attempt to make this film. Because they believe in and follow the Hollywood standard.
Yeah, Mendes said he was influenced by TDK. But his film was less Hollywood than TDK or TDKR with its city held (yawn) Hostage crap or the typical countdown to doom we saw in both of those films.
BlackSun77
BlackSun77 - 3/6/2013, 5:23 AM
Christopher Nolan
PartyKiller
PartyKiller - 3/6/2013, 5:41 AM
Nolan's Bond: Bond forgets how to fight and his I.Q. dips below 60. Bond starts wetting the bed and cant walk until Q makes him a magic knee brace.
Bond returns to action only to be manipulated by the bad guys into stealing a nuke so they can steal it from Senile Mr. Wayne, I mean Senile Mr. Bond.
Bond is then beaten and up AGAIN, and thrown in a prison where someone punches him in the back and fixes his back.
Bond returns, fights the bad guys LOSES AGAIN?!?, but manages to win after someone else kills the bad guys and Bond rides off with the Nuke but when it explodes he survives because some dumbass wrote it that way.
ToTheManInTheColdSweat
ToTheManInTheColdSweat - 3/6/2013, 5:46 AM
lmbo, duh he ain't coming back. he ripped off the brilliant tdk for skyfall, he sure ain't ripping off tdkr for "skyfall rises", that would be too obvious.
bazinga85
bazinga85 - 3/6/2013, 5:53 AM
Don't get Nolan. He needs to focus on JL.
continuezero
continuezero - 3/6/2013, 5:58 AM
@RPD, Thank you for being the only other person to notice that. In Casino he is just gettin his 00 status and here he is meeting a young Q for the first time and he's deemed too old and needs to retire? WTF...Bond is ageless as is shown over time. That absolutely bothered me.
Adama
Adama - 3/6/2013, 6:10 AM
Obviously, Paul Greengrass
BlackPhillip
BlackPhillip - 3/6/2013, 6:18 AM
Not Nolan, because he'll rape Bond like he did with Batman. 1geekygurl, above, said it best.
TheSoulEater
TheSoulEater - 3/6/2013, 6:38 AM
Nooooooooooooooooooooooo
TheNameIsBetty
TheNameIsBetty - 3/6/2013, 6:49 AM
I would vote for Nolan, but I want him to focus on DC universe
LucasMend
LucasMend - 3/6/2013, 7:28 AM
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO ):
Coolkid
Coolkid - 3/6/2013, 7:33 AM
Nolan or Brad Bird...!!!
datNAMEtho
datNAMEtho - 3/6/2013, 7:55 AM
What a relief! Don't get me wrong, I fakking LOVE Skyfall but it would be better if another director got Bond24 otherwise the mistake of making it too much of the same is closer at hand.. And despite that Skyfall is a fantastic film, we shouldn't want that.

Besides, TOM HOOPER said he'd be interested to make a Bond film. I'd say, hire him!
Canon108
Canon108 - 3/6/2013, 8:10 AM
Matthew Vaughn or Martin Campbell again...Nolan's style doesn't seem to fit Bond.
SonOfStarKiller
SonOfStarKiller - 3/6/2013, 8:15 AM
Someone explain to me what a "real Bond" movie is supposed to be? I think some of you guys are way too concerned with gadgets and cheesy dialogue. I've seen them all and I believe Skyfall was brilliant and deserves all the praise it received. Definitely top three of all time.
Chewtoy
Chewtoy - 3/6/2013, 8:41 AM
I'm not encouraged by the return of the writer of "Skyfall". The plot of that film was by far the weakest element to it... It's clearly a bunch of set pieces strung together with little reason. My favorite was taking "M" off the grid so the villain can't get to her, and then purposefully having Q lead the villain to her... But not into a trap, because in truth they have little to no weapons ready to defend her (they have to improvise traps), and no back-up waiting to swoop in to deal with the threat when it arrives.

Add all of the nonsense about the underground, WWII headquarters that MI6 use to be less vulnerable to hacking (and yet every door in it has apparently been retrofitted to pop open by electronic means wired to a central computer and not an actual, manual lock) and the.nonsense of the villain getting himself arrested just to have a brief conversation with M that he could have had anywhere and the whole plot is ridiculous. And that's saying something when it comes to a Bond film...
Ceejay
Ceejay - 3/6/2013, 8:50 AM
@SonOfStarKiller - Bond movies were not supposed to have any technical gadgets at all. Yes it became a recurring thing after they made Goldfinger but it's something that never existed in the original books or the first adapted movies they made.

Unfortunately we still have people who think that's all they're supposed to be about but fortunately they are in the extreme minority. Daniel Craigs back-to-the-source movies have made the kind of money the other silly Bond films could only dream about proving the majority of mature movie-goers out there appreciate a more serious espionage thriller instead of the screwball idiocy of the action-comedy type they spiralled into.

Christopher Nolan, David Fincher or Ridley Scott for next Director.
SonOfStarKiller
SonOfStarKiller - 3/6/2013, 9:35 AM
@Ceejay- Thank you! Some guys on here believe If a pen doesn't explode or a car doesn't turn invisible, the movie sucks! Mendes made an amazing Bond film. While respecting (and even poking a little fun) at the previous films, he managed to give it a real espionage feel. I love this new direction the franchise has taken. When someones says "get a director who knows who James Bond really is", I laugh because we just did.

And I agree with your choice of directors. I think a Fincher directed Bond would be completely sick!
nuclearpriest
nuclearpriest - 3/6/2013, 9:36 AM
I just read that Rupert Wyatt has dropped out of the directing job on the Equalizer movie so I'd imagine he's a viable candidate.
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