A little more than a week ago, we heard rumors that The Dark Knight Rises director Christopher Nolan was in preliminary talks with Sony to direct the next James Bond film. However, as I indicated in the post, some obstacles could prevent the dream pairing. It appears that Sony, MGM, and EON have realized that the reality of Nolan directing Bond 24 might be little more than wishful thinking as Collider reports that extra names are being considered for the position.

The names that have begun to pop up throughout the day include Nicolas Winding Refn (Only God Forgives), Tom Hooper (Les Miserables), Ang Lee (Life of Pi), David Yates (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows), and Shane Black (Iron Man 3). Each director has a distinct directing style that could take the James Bond franchise in an interesting direction, but talks are still really early, and changes can still be made. For example, a general 2014 target date for the next Bond film has been eased as EON and Sony are looking as far away as 2016 for a release.

Personally, I think the director (outside of Nolan) that could fit the James Bond vibe would be Black. However, with rumors that he’s committing to the Doc Samson film adaptation as his next project, it seems unlikely that he’ll be sitting in the Bond director chair. We’ll see how this story progresses.

[via Collider]