With shooting set to begin in less than a year, now is a good time to look at the five directors most often inked to Bond 25. Who are they and what have they done?
Yann Demange
Age: 40
Homeland: France / Great Britain
Notable films: 71; White Boy Rick
Honors: Best Director, British Independent Film Awards (71)
Collaborations: Matthew McConaughy, Jack O’Connell
Why is he being considered for Bond 25? Demange received high praise for his first film, 71, making him the “it” director; his new film, White Boy Rick, is receiving much buzz.
David Mackenzie
Age: 51
Homeland: Scotland
Notable films: Hell or High Water; Starred Up; Outlaw King
Honors: 2014 Best Director, Scotland BAFTA Awards (Starred Up)
Collaborations: Chris Pine, Jeff Bridges, Ben Foster, Ben Mendelsohn, Jack O’Connell, Ashton Kutcher, Aaron Taylor-Johnson
Why is he being considered for Bond 25? Mackenzie received high praise for Hell or High Water, making him a hot commodity; his latest film, Outlaw King, will be relased on Netflix.
Paul McGuigan
Age: 54
Homeland: Scotland
Notable films: Lucky Number Slevin; Wicker Park; Gangster No. 1; Push; Film Stars Don’t Die in Liverpool
Honors: Best Film, Milan Film Festival (Lucky Number Slevin)
Collaborations: Annette Bening, Jamie Bell, Bruce Willis, Rose Byrne, Chris Evans, Paul Bettany
Why is he being considered for Bond 25? Bond producer Barbara Broccoli produced McGuigan’s latest movie, Film Stars Don’t Die in Liverpool; reports suggest McGuigan has impressed Broccoli, as a result.
Christopher Nolan
Age: 47
Homeland: Great Britain
Notable films: Memento; Batman Begins; The Dark Knight, Inception; Dunkirk
Honors: Best Director, Austin Film Critics Association (The Dark Knight); Nomination, Best Picture, 83rd Academy Awards (Inception)
Collaborations: Christian Bale, Hugh Jackman, Tom Hardy, Leonardo DiCaprio, Gary Oldman, Kenneth Branagh, Michael Caine
Why is he being considered for Bond 25? The better questions is, “Why wouldn’t he be?” Nolan is one of Britain’s most established and successful directors of all time, and he has expressed interest in directing Bond.
Next: Ranked: James Bond meets the villain
Denis Villeneuve
Age: 50
Homeland: Canada
Notable films: Prisoners; Sicario; Arrival; Blade Runner 2049
Honors: Nomination, Best Director, 89th Academy Awards (Arrival)
Collaborations: Hugh Jackman, Jake Gyllenhaal, Amy Adams, Emily Blunt, Josh Brolin, Benicio del Toro, Jeremy Renner, Ryan Gosling, Harrison Ford, Jared Leto
Why is he being considered for Bond 25? Reports suggest that Daniel Craig is trying to recruit Villeneuve, who is on record as saying that directing a Bond is a dream of is. Currently, however, Villeneuve is attached to another project: Dune.