The following article contains spoilers.
Sam Mendes isn’t exactly open to the idea of directing a James Bond film again. And apparently, it has to do with the way he regards the studio system that allowed him to make some of the best films in his career: “They don’t want people who have a big track record.”
Mendes, the director of films like American Beauty, Jarhead and 1917, gave a whole new look to the James Bond franchise when he jumped on board and made two of the best films portraying the MI6 agent 007 saving the world from nefarious supervillains. Skyfall was an excellent film where the titular character faced yet another challenge. The film showed Bond on a necessary personal journey, but the follow-up, Spectre, wasn’t as well received, but it still felt like a film with Mendes’ identity all over it.
While speaking to Inverse about his upcoming executive producer’s gig, The Franchise, the director was asked about returning to make a James Bond film. The question was pretty ironic, considering The Franchise is a comedy series that depicts Hollywood’s insane franchise wars (yes, we mean Marvel and DC). Per Mendes’ statement about a possible return to the Bond-verse:
”
Never say never, to quote the man, but I would doubt it.
It was very good for me at that moment in my life. I felt like it shot me out of some old habits. It made me think on a bigger scale. It made me use different parts of my brain. You have to have a lot of energy.Bond still exists in the real world. I had maybe three or four days of green screen shooting on that movie, and it felt like three or four months. There’s something so difficult and airless about that environment. You’ve got nothing to react to, you’re not standing in the real world.”
Ultimately, Mendes addresses the idea of working for the studio system in such a huge franchise like James Bond again. While he’s not saying no to working with studios again, he knows the experience is maybe designed for another kind of filmmaker:
”
They want slightly more malleable people
who are earlier in their career, who perhaps are going to use it as a stepping stone,
and who are more controllable by the studio.
“
The Future for the James Bond Franchise is Unwritten
For now, all speculations surrounding the James Bond franchise have to do with what’s coming next. Especially after the most recent film in the series, No Time to Die, ended not only Daniel Craig’s time in the role, but also the life of the world’s greatest secret agent. The character, as played by Craig for five films, was killed in a massive explosion in a franchise first.
The 26th iteration is being called Bond 26 by news outlets, but there’s currently nothing more than that. Directors are being juggled around, but after Amazon acquired MGM, details have been kept under wraps. Producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli run Eon Productions, the studio supporting the famous character, and they were open a couple of years ago to the idea of continuing the franchise with another performer giving life to Bond (and with Amazon grabbing the reins of the franchise). However, for now, the return of 007 is yet to be revealed, which begs that eternal question everyone loves to debate. Who would you like to see helm the famous MI6 badge?