Decoding the latest Bond 26 rumours and speculation about a possible director.
Just recently there have been a number of rumours published recently about potential directors for Bond 26.
Once again Christopher Nolan’s name came up in an article by Jordan Ruimy on World of Reel. The author notes that while discussions are ongoing, no deal has been struck yet.
Nolan, a long-time Bond enthusiast, recently expressed his interest in the franchise and the responsibility that comes with it. But he would seek a high degree of creative freedom for the film, which aligns with his filmmaking style. If this materializes it will mark a significant departure from the traditional Bond filmmaking process.
According to the article the negotiations involve two Bond films directed and scripted by Nolan, with the actor playing Bond yet to be confirmed. The unnamed source also told Ruimy other directors in contention were Danny Boyle, Denis Villeneuve, and Paul Greengrass. He also noted that while he had heard rumours of Matthew Vaughn being in contention, his source said his name hadn’t been mentioned.
Talking about the likelihood of Nolan directing Bond 26 on a recent episode of James Bond & Friends, we initially concluded that Nolan is unlikely to be chosen as he’d require too much control over the creative process. The flip side of this is that if Michael G Wilson takes a back seat for Bond 26 – likely but by no means guaranteed – then maybe Barbara Broccoli wants someone who will do exactly that and take some of the pressure off her.
But it’s hard to believe that either Barbara Broccoli or Danny Boyle would want to work together again after Boyle quit Bond 25 a couple of months before filming was due to begin.
A week later the same author claimed Matthew Vaughn was now the top choice for Bond 26. Such a rapid change of heart does diminish the credibility of his claims, although this time he does name his source as Daniel Richtman, writing on his Patreon page. Richtman does apparently have a reputation for getting some things right, but not all, and mainly – if the comments on Reddit are to be believed – he is good at leaking trailer dates. That’s a long way from what we are talking about right now about the Bond 26 director.
So, all in all, I think there are talks ongoing between Eon and potential directors. If Bond 26 is to come out in 2025 then they need a director on board within the next six months. But whether any of the directors mentioned is in serious consideration is a different matter and the only list Danny Boyle will be on as far as Eon is concerned is a black list.
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