Penelope Cruz is Bond 24's girl
After all of the shenanigans that surrounded the director possibilities for the next James Bond film, from Christopher Nolan being offered to a multitude of interesting choices to Sam Mendes officially returning to the franchise, the stage is setting for 007. We already knew that Daniel Craig would be returning as the secret agent, but now his femme fatale counterpart has been found.
Yahoo! Movies UK is reporting that the Spanish bombshell Penelope Cruz (Vicky Cristina Barcelona) will be the Bond girl in the next film. This should be a great step in the right direction for the franchise, considering Cruz's acting versatility should mesh well with Craig's. It's also interesting to note that Cruz will become the oldest "Bond Girl" as she'll be turning 40 by the start of production. Of course, age is just a number, especially when it comes to Penelope. Bond producers must love keeping it in the family, as Cruz's husband, Javier Bardem (No Country for Old Men), was the antagonist for the most recent Bond film, Skyfall.
[via Yahoo! Movies UK]
Sam Mendes Will Direct Bond 24 After All
After almost two weeks of rumors and speculation, the smoke has cleared and only one director has emerged from the ruckus. Yesterday, huge rumors came out that numerous directors were named to take on Mendes' vacated director role, including Nicolas Winding Refn, Ang Lee, David Yates, and Tom Hooper. This news itself came out in the wake of news that Bond producers tapped Inception director Christopher Nolan for the position a week and a half ago.
Now, Deadline has reported that Sam Mendes is going to come back after all. The Skyfall director will still go through with his stage production commitments, including the musical adaptation of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and King Lear. Sony, MGM, and EON are willing to wait for the director, as well, as I mentioned yesterday with their decision to move the 24th Bond film as far back as 2016.
This is how Hollywood works, guys, with hearsay and layers of rumors. Hopefully, the Bond franchise can stabilize now that they have a guaranteed director now.
[via Deadline]
New Directors Added into the James Bond 24 Mix
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]
Next James Bond Film Offered to Christopher Nolan
After Skyfall came out last year, director Sam Mendes stepped away from the franchise, choosing not to direct the next entry in the vast 007 franchise. Bond producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson, in their search for the next potential director, have begun informal talks with The Dark Knight Rises director Christopher Nolan.
According to the Daily Mail, the two producers have approached Nolan with the possibility of directing the 24th James Bond film. Of course a few obstacles could prevent the dream pairing, the biggest of which being the shooting/production schedule of Nolan's upcoming film, Interstellar. Also, there are intentions from MGM to shoot Bond 24 and 25 consecutively, essentially booking Nolan's next few years with three huge projects.
Still, it doesn't hurt to try, and with Nolan's pedigree, just the rumors involved with his name would be enough to get Bond fans excited.
[via Flixist, via Daily Mail]