While mainstream media is now insisting Bond 25 will be delayed until 2020 after Danny Boyle left the start production, there are indications that the film will go ahead as planned.
Firstly, writing on his blog, is Mark O’Connell, author of Catching Bullets. His grandfather was Cubby Broccoli’s chauffeur and he has links to 007 crew regulars. According to Mark:
With pre-production and production already locked into Pinewood Studios, some casting decisions no doubt at an advanced stage, set work already commenced and an official shooting schedule locking crew and location producers into a December 2018 principle photography starting pistol, this is not an easy turn of events.
The second is from Gareth Owen, who ran Sir Roger Moore’s press office and runs Bondstars.com with offices at Pinewood Studios. He’s also well connected with Eon insiders. Speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live (augment begins at 2hrs 38 mins 52 seconds), he confirmed that work on Bond 25 has begun in earnest and that as recently as last week Danny Boyle was happy with the way things were going.
On Facebook he later posted:
There are lots of articles and Internet discussions saying the producers could revert to the Purvis and Wade script.
Well, what if I was to tell you that is the script John Hodge was rewriting…
The film is still firmly set for a December start.
What is interesting about Gareth’s comment is that, if true, Danny Boyle signed up to direct the Purvis and Wade script, not the story he pitched Eon at the start of this year.
We won’t know for sure until Eon Productions makes some kind of announcement. But until then there are a couple of good grounds to hope there will be no delay.
Updated to add link to radio interview and correct source of Gareth Owen quote.
August 24th, 2018 at 23:37
Awesome! Glad to know they’re keeping on schedule. Then again there was similar turmoil before Quantum. Fingers crossed.
September 5th, 2018 at 18:33
Fingers crossed indeed!