Daniel-Craig-and-Sam-Mendes-on-set-of-SkyfallFollowing the immense success of Skyfall in the past six months, MGM are understandably keen to move ahead with Bond 24 soon.

We heard at the start of the month that Sam Mendes has officially opted out of directing the as-yet-untitled sequel.

In a conference call with investors, MGM Chairman and CEO, Gary Barber, has said that they are looking forward to announcing a new director for Bond 24 soon. He added that the studio are currently developing the screenplay, and are hoping to release it on the big screen within three years.

“We are very excited about the franchise, we look forward to announcing a director soon,” Barber said.

“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.”

Barber didn’t go into any further details, but we know that Daniel Craig is going to be reprising his role as the iconic character. Craig has signed on for at least a further two films, and as my personal favourite Bond to date, I’m looking forward to seeing him back in action.

John Logan, who co-wrote Skyfall, is set to return to write the script for Bond 24. Logan has previously spoken of the possibility of making the next film the first part of a two-film plot. And whilst Craig has reportedly denied that there’s a two-film arc on the cards, it’s definitely an intriguing possibility to consider.

Sam Mendes took the franchise to new heights, with Skyfall becoming the first Bond film to join the elusive $1bn. club. We would have loved to see Mendes return for Bond 24. But at the same time, it’s always nice to see fresh blood boarding a franchise as old as Bond to bring their take to the table. Here’s to hoping that the announcement for the new director will be coming sooner rather than later.

 

Source: Reuters.