Who should direct / star in the next Bond?
Saturday, May 28, 2016 at 9:00PM 
In not surprising news, Sam Mendes is moving on from the 007 franchise after Skyfall (2012) and Spectre (2015). Daniel Craig is probably moving on, too, but rumors about who will replace him are, as ever, premature. The names floating about this time are Idris Elba and Tom Hiddleston (wishful fan thinking, maybe, since the internet has been suggesting these two names forever) and 30 year old Jamie Bell which is an interesting idea and probably not a bad one. If chosen he'd be the youngest Bond since Sean Connery (who was 30 when he was cast for Dr. No (1962) though most subsequent Bonds have been around 40 when they started. Plus Bell is super charismatic but underused in cinema.
Though Bond films are largely regarded as producer driven and leading actor focused pictures, rather than directorial feats, the man in the chair is important. In the past the franchise has generally relied on mid level directors rather than auteurs, the two with the most success outside the franchise are Oscar winner Sam Mendes and Oscar nominee Lewis Gilbert. Once the franchise even handed the reigns to a Bond editor who graduated to the director's chair (John Glen) for his directorial debut.
Directed the Most Bond Films
- John Glen - 5 Bonds: For Your Eyes Only, Octopussy, A View to a Kill, The Living Daylights, License to Kill (and he edited a few more before those); Key Picture Outside the Franchise: Not really
- Guy Hamilton -4 Bonds: Goldfinger, Diamonds Are Forever, Live and Let Die, The Man With the Golden Gun; Key Picture Outside the Franchise: Force 10 From Navarone
- [TIE] Terence Young - 3 Bonds: Dr No, From Russia With Love, Thunderball; Key Picture Outside the Franchise: Wait Until Dark AND Lewis Gilbert - 3 Bonds: You Only Live Twice, The Spy Who Loved Me, Moonraker: Key Picture(s) Outside the Franchise: Alfie (Oscar Nomination), and Educating Rita
- [TIE] Sam Mendes - 2 Bonds: Skyfall, Spectre; Key Picture Outside the Franchise: American Beauty (Oscar win), and Road to Perdition AND Martin Campbell - 2 Bonds: GoldenEye, Casino Royale; Key Picture Outside the Franchise: The Mask of Zorro
If you could bend producer Barbara Broccoli's ear...
What would you whisper to the woman behind the franchise who makes those final hiring decisions?
Reader Comments (35)
Idris Elba as Ian Fleming's 007 James Bond in Bond 25 directed by.... Kathryn Bigelow.
Son of a bitch Steven you beat me to suggesting a woman helm one of these movies since it has yet to happen.
A black bond would be nice as long as the actor is a European national.
I think they could also use a female screenwriter who was interested in making Bond more feminist in his interactions with women. Of course he'll continue to have causal trysts but be less callous about how he discards women. And even how difficult he would be for him to kill a hench woman.
As for your question I'd say that no matter whom they pick there will be an uproar of some kind from many quarters. So much has been invested in the question even as some of the key figures of the franchise (ahem, Craig) have completely lost interest. Hoping for a dazzling, engaged turn from whomever the lucky suit bearer will be.
What about an Aussie Bond? Eric Bana really really really looks the part.
I'd hate Bell. Not another blond Bond, please.
I prefer a Jamie Bell level actor - super talented but never took off the way I would have liked, rather than a Hiddleston, for whom another franchise means less time for High-Rises and Only Lovers Lefts.
But above all, I prefer an Idris Elba.
I want "When M was an Agent"... with Dame Judi of course.
Jamie Bell has a baby face. Bond is a man. No youthful looking actors for the role.
I would love to see Hiddleston in the role who could bring a casual, almost effeminate sexiness to the. Each new Bond needs to bring something new, and Hiddleston's sleekness would be a could counterpoint to the blunt Craig. Elba would be great though. If not them then Matthew Goode, or Richard Madden.
Directors I'd love Kathryn Bigelow or Kenneth Branagh
@Steven as soon as I saw this post I thought about Bigelow. Dang your fast fingers!
Perhaps it will go to Jack O'Connell. He is not completely unknown and Jolie already put him through the ringer.
Of all the names floated, only Hiddleston makes sense, but I think they'll go with an unknown or lesser-known actor. Worked for Craig.
To me, the criteria are: British Isles/Commonwealth, approximate age 35, minimum height 5'11. I like Adrian Lester, but he's aged out, although his looks are still youthful. He's actually older than Elba, who is 43 but looks 50 (a GORGEOUS HOT 50, but 50). Hiddleston fits all these criteria, but the fact that he's already in another franchise is probably a problem for the Bond producers.
A female director would be fantastic. Broccoli & Wilson are the ones to make it happen.
I think no director has so understood Bond in the modern era as Martin Campbell, but he won't be back.
As long as it's not Elba or Hiddleston i'm ok.
Hugh Jackman!!!
What actor to be the next bond? This is actually a very difficult question. Craig is so perfect in the role. They'll probably want to go with someone younger this time who the stunts won't be too hard on.
> Of the ones you mention, Jamie Bell could be good but I don't see Loki in the role.
>Tom Hardy could be great if he is up for it
>Maybe Dan Stevens? He was scary intense and great in The Guest (if you haven't seen it do yourself a favor). Definitely also has the charisma to pull off Bond.
Have you not seen the fake fan posters with Gillian Anderson as 007? Honestly the most perfect casting I can think of. What an exceptional choice that would be.
Sean Connery was 31 when he was cast as 007 in the fall of 1961. The youngest Bond was Conny's successor George Lazenby at the age of then 29.
"Once the franchise even handed the reigns to a Bond editor who graduated to the director's chair (John Glen) for his directorial debut."
This also happened to former Bond editor Peter Hunt who gave his feature film debut with On Her Majesty's Secret Service.
And Force 10 From Navarone is hardly the film one should mention as Guy Hamilton's non-Bond key picture. Hamilton's best film outside of the world of 007 is the very respectable screen version of An Inspector Calls.
Unless the character is being drastically re-written: Fassbender or Hardy. Both are unlikely.
In the director's chair: Christopher Nolan or Jonathan Glazer. Also unlikely.
Cate Blanchett as Jane Bond. Tilda Swinton as the baddie. Jennifer Kent to write and direct.
Kathryn Bigelow directing would be amazing. I think that a black\woman\non british bond at this point is just wishful thinking and a far reach so the most realistic way of bringing more diversity to the franchise would be having a woman in control of it.
As far as the new bond goes, I think if they go too young (Bell), there's a danger of going origin story again, and nobody needs that, everybody and their mother knows who bond is. You just put a new guy there and there's no need to explain where he comes from. So my bond choice would be Matthew Goode, I would love to see someone bring the charm back to the character.
My ideal choice for Bond is Henry CavillI but I think that Anonny's suggestion of Dan Stevens is also good. He's 33.
I guess "Poldark" hasn't hit the US yet, Aidan Turner is the new big thing in the UK. But I think Tom Hiddleston would be great if he can work around his Marvel contract.
I know I should care about a director, but honestly I just want Adele to do another song.
I'm sick of Bond. He is a pox on actors. Elba and Hiddleston have more than enough money from their respective current franchises to waste away their talent on this franchise. If we have to continue having these movies inflicted upon us then I agree with Mike in Canada - an actor whose talents haven't been utilised (like a Brosnan) well, but who isn't just a pretty face but a personality and charisma like a plank of wood.
Give the role to Matthias Schoenaerts and make him reenact the scene of Bond coming out of the water in those tiny blue swimming trunks for 2 hours. Now that's a movie.
But, seriously, I love the suggestion of Kathryn Bigelow as director. I'm sure Elba could make a decent Bond, I've never really been fond of the suggestion of him in the role, but I like him as an actor (though he has yet to wow me).
Hugh Jackman was a frontrunner at one time, but he's too old now (47). The thing is, they want someone who will make at least 3 pictures, and they're 2-3 years apart.
Daniel Craig was 38 when he was hired, he's 48 now. If he does one more picture, he'll be 50 or 51, and then he's done. The stunts are rough, the schedule is rough, and the whole thing becomes implausible.
And now, a few (on the surface) inappropriate options in the appropriate age group: Eddie Redmayne, Robert Pattinson, Jack Huston, Jamie Dornan, Matt Smith, Charlie Hunnam, Joseph Morgan, Ed Skrein, Tom Cullen...
"Each new Bond needs to bring something new." Yep. They should know by now that reinventing the character a little for each iteration is what works. Jamie Bell, with his blonde looks and trademark intensity/unfriendliness on the big screen implies a Daniel Craig ripoff. Doesn't seem like the best pick, but maybe they'll surprise us by going in a different direction if he's cast.
I hadn't thought of Jamie Bell, but he's worth thinking about. Whoever they choose, though, they just need to avoid another origin story.
Ez: I love the idea of a gender flipped "Jane Bond" or a black Bond, as implausible as that sounds, but if they were to go there? Blanchett and Elba are both a bit too old (she's 47, so 48 when the next one starts filming and Elba's 43, so 44 (and as one person above said, he reads older than he actually is) when they film the next one) for the part. M could become a rotating role of "Bond near-misses".
Everyone: Even if they went with Elba (which I doubt), they'd NEVER go with Bigelow. The Broccolis just aren't going to give the job to a born and raised American, regardless of gender. This is a bit of an "auteurist" choice, but I'd actually love to see what Andrea Arnold might do with a gender flipped Jane Bond franchise, with Katie Jarvis (I know, at only 26 or so, she'd be the new youngest ever Bond) as her Bond.
Tom Hardy would be a good choice
Andrew Scott or Dan Steven's with Tony Gilroy in the director's chair
Travis. Ooh Andrew Scott.
Have Daniel Craig close his tenure with the director who inspired the genesis for his Bond: Christopher Nolan.
With Inception, The Prestige and his Batman flicks, Nolan's been publicly auditioning for this gig!
Johnny: Ooh, good idea. He's a Brit (Barbara Broccoli would trust that), his specific reconstitution of Batman went similarly hyper-realistic and Craig might actually take the job, regardless of the check size, if it meant working with Nolan at least once in his career.
Loving these suggestions so far: Jamie Bell, Dan Stevens, Aidan Turner, and Andrew Scott.
Which means none of them will be picked and I can go back to not caring about Bond (I've only seen Craig's Bond and liked them enough).
Have you considered Sullivan Stapleton as a candidate for the Bond role???? He might be the one.????