Wednesday
May292013
Sky Falling For A Second Time
Wednesday, May 29, 2013 at 1:50PM 
JA from MNPP here, with the word that Sam Mendes is back in talks to direct another James Bond movie, after having removed himself from the conversation back in March. I found the news that he wasn't doing it earlier this year more surprising than this news today that he is - Skyfall was the biggest moneymaking Bond ever, not to mention scoring the franchise its first Oscar since 1965, and it seemed pretty cut and dry that he'd want to help Daniel Craig back into his blue trunks for another go-round (wouldn't we all).
Personally I had sort of a weird reaction to Skyfall - I loved it the first time I saw it, only to sense a precipitous decline with subsequent viewings - it didn't hold up for me at all, once that initial thrill wore off. But it sure was beautiful to look at, the cast was great, and with it ending right where the first Bond movie Dr. No began maybe Mendes can make a slightly less bloated, less self-serious movie this time. And maybe give the terrific Naomie Harris something real, besides Daniel Craig, to chew on!
On the real down-side, I totally want Kate Winslet to be a Bond girl, and I don't think it's going to happen with Mendes leading the charge (I don't care what their pr people tell me - nobody's post-marital relations are that good). What do we think about Mendes heading back into Bond waters? are we sad that Nicolas Winding Refn isn't happening?
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tagged Bond James Bond, Daniel Craig, Sam Mendes
Bond James Bond, Daniel Craig, Sam Mendes
Reader Comments (15)
i am all for this FOR ME since I think he did a really good job. I am all against this FOR HIM because that just seems like playing with fire to attemp to top yourself in this particular kind of capacity. Unless he's given up on his prestigier directorial reputation?
Co-signed on Kate Winslet being a Bond Girl. Elektra King was a good start, but i'd love it if a female character was the main villain of the film and pose a credible threat to Bond. If they can't work Kate out, Rachel Weisz would be just as good.
Mendes is a good choice since he did a wonderful job with Skyfall but why not try and take a chance on another director like they did with Mendes?
After that Cannes clip, I want Asia Argento to be a Bond girl.
Glad to see Mendes back (if he is) and I would love to see Harris do more.
But imagine what Bigelow could do to Bond.
Would love to see Kate Winslet as a Bond girl and you never know some people can put their past history aside and work together but it seems too much to hope for. That being said I second Derreck's suggestion of Rachel Weisz, a terrific actress and she should be an easy get being Mrs. Craig and all.
I'm all for Mendes coming back but I hope he can tighten up the running time on the next one. Overlength was my big grip with Skyfall.
Nathan, I agree. I think he pulled off an artistic coup with Bond, and miracles just don't strike twice (sorry, mixing my metaphors AGAIN). And he's such a wonderful director, why give up the chance to do some real auteur work outside the boundaries of genre filmmaking. I mean, it's quite amusing to orchestrate a lovely car chase, but wouldn't it be even more fun to lense Nicole pondering a headless wildebeast after a vicious row with her newly revealed half-sister? JMO.
Skyfall wasn't overly self-serious at all. I think you're just biased in favor of light-hearted camp.
brookesboy: Okay, I'm looking at IMDB. I see his other projects in development, beyond the TV show Penny Dreadful are:
Grand Hotel: Another TV miniseries. Not a cinematic return.
On Chesil Beach: At it's absolute strongest core (cutting the incidental abuse suggestions as, really, unimportant to the narrative core), it's about the intersection between heterosexuality and asexuality that doesn't really condemn or congratulate either side. Problem: As far as I can tell there's no discernible audience for that. It'd be a pop-artistic director shoving our face in something that we don't really even have an unambiguously postivie cinematic representation of yet. Right now, On Chesil Beach is more an Andrea Arnold, than a Sam Mendes.
Netherland: Wonderland is a big budget prospect, and a fairly risky venture. (None of the live-action takes have turned out that well financially.)
Lost in Austen: Diving into novel piece. Kind of interesting, but that sounds more like a late 90s or early 00s movie than a current release.
Middlemarch: We haven't really received a big period costume drama hit, and Mendes is probably stymied at the genre's relative lack of success.
I get what you're saying about the self-serious stuff, but I feel like that's what was necessary to keep the franchise on the rails. Skyfall is another realignment to clear away the last of the old guard (Dench, over-the-top spy tech, disposable Bond girls, etc.). The obligatory stage setting aside, it was a really fun movie full of stunning visuals and I think it sets the next film up nicely as a refreshing adventure story with some new talent behind the scenes. I, for one, am excited to see how they use Naomie Harris. I hope this Moneypenny gets out in the field a bit more and will hold her own against Bond with the witty banter.
As for whether this is a smart move for Mendes? I don't know. Skyfall was his most commercially successful film to date. After a few uneven or stodgy films (Jarhead, Revolutionary Road and Away We Go), it was an artistic success as well. Sure, it feels like he's going back to Bond because he has no new ideas, but it's better than seeing him do another Away We Go-style misfire.
No.
Kate Winslet in a Bond movie? N O
A second Bond movie for Mende sounds like a huge risk but Skyfall was a very good one
one of the things I dislike in SKYFALL was the treatment of (un)official Bond Girl, sultry Berenice Marlohe, who stayed in the movie not enough...and her demise, even if it could be considered a strong moment, it's quite nasty for me!
so for his second time as a Bond Director I won't expect so much from Mendes regarding the female roles...it's quite clear that for him: BONDGIRLS ARE (NOT) FOREVER
brookesboy: I meant Netherland. Mistyped. Point is, big budget prospect that hasn't paid off previously.
Anyway, In addition to those four films, he also wanted to do a movie on the freaking Garth Ennis comic PREACHER at some point. Yeah. So, based on what it took Michael Bay to make Pain and Gain (three or four Transformers films), he might have to do at least one more past this one, if not two more to get someone on board with his passion projects.
I'm still waiting for someone to cast David Bowie as a Bond villain. Maybe Mendes can finally accomplish it.
Volvagia, isn't it sad that some of our best directors have to do these mass-market, brain-dead fiascos so they can finance their art. But I guess that's true with all artists. Sigh. Thank you for the info on these projects!
Wouldn't it be great if Mendes' current girlfriend (Rebecca Hall), and his two exes (Rachel Weisz and Kate Winslet) were all Bond Girls in the SAME MOVIE!?!?