Under normal circumstances Danny Boyle directing a James Bond movie would just be big news, and it is. But the logistics of this thing is going to make it very interesting to watch, because I’m not sure how Boyle is going to do it. Anyway, it’s now official that Boyle will direct Bond 25 after months of “will he/won’t he” speculation. He’ll be collaborating with frequent partner John Hodge (Trainspotting) on the script, which will again feature Daniel Craig as 007. Annapurna Pictures is joining MGM to release the film on the expected date of November 9th 2019.
The news was confirmed in a press statement, with these words from Bond producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson:
We are delighted to announce that the exceptionally talented Danny Boyle will be directing Daniel Craig in his fifth outing as James Bond in the 25th installment of the franchise. We will begin shooting Bond 25 at Pinewood Studios in December with our partners at MGM and thrilled that Universal will be our international distributor.
So what’s the big deal? Well, Boyle is currently working on his musical comedy with Love Actually writer Richard Curtis. That film, which stars Lily James, Ana de Armas, and Kate McKinnon, is to open in September 2019. How can Boyle realistically be expected to shoot and edit two movies released so close together? Boyle has always been fast and lean with his productions but this would seem to be too much even for him. A James Bond movie isn’t going to be fast and certainly won’t be lean. Production begins this December, with the film opening first in the U.K. in October 2019. Not a ton of time.
This should be fun to keep an eye on. I expect we should start hearing casting rumors for this new James Bond movie very soon.
