Is Sam Mendes Done With James Bond

Sam Mendes has directed two James Bond films, including the most recent, but will he return for a third?

Sam Mendes is a director of incredible talent. His first feature, American Beauty, won five Academy Awards, including one for Mendes himself for achievement in directing.

Since then, he has gone on to do six other films, the most recent two being part of the massive James Bond franchise. He stepped in after Marc Forster’s Quantum of Solace, breathing new life into the Daniel Craig era of Bond with the universally acclaimed and box office behemoth Skyfall.

He also helmed the most recent Bond installment, Spectre, which has been met with less acclaim and less of a box office take than Skyfall.

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Jacob Hall at Slashfilm theorized that Spectre may be Mendes last outing as a Bond director. Mendes stated in an interview with Deadline that Spectre was akin to “finishing a journey.”

Hall goes on to say that Mendes had similar reservations about returning after the success of Skyfall, but that, even so, he thinks Mendes will decide to hang it up for good this time.

Hall also goes on to state his belief that Craig should return for one final hurrah as the secret agent, going out on top with another “home run” film that would secure his legacy as perhaps the best Bond in the franchise.

This is where my beliefs and Hall’s diverge.

I do think that Mendes leaving would do both the director and the franchise good. Mendes could then go on to do his own creative thing, which would be great. And the franchise could bring in a new director and steer the massive ship of the series in a consistent direction.

However, I think Craig’s time is up, as well.

Sure, going out on top with another great Bond film would be wonderful for Craig, but that is easier said than done. Bond 25 could easily become Spectre 2 or Quantum of Solace With A Vengeance. Nobody wants that.

Having two of the best Bond films in the franchise is good enough to allow for the two middling films that came with it to be ignored to a certain extent. I still think Craig is the second best Bond there is, even with Spectre. He should go out when he wants to instead of sticking around and doing a half-hearted job.

What we need is a new Bond and a new Bond director. Craig and Mendes both have reservations about returning, so let them move on. Two fresh faces with a passion for making a solid Bond film would do the franchise some good. Or, perhaps, a seasoned Bond director who knows how to handle a Bond actor’s first outing. Either way, the keyword is new. New can make Bond 25 something memorable.

Next: Who Should Be the Next Bond: Tom Hiddleston

As always, thanks for reading!

What do you think? Should Sam Mendes direct a third Bond? Should Daniel Craig play Bond for one more movie? Let us know in the comments below!