14 DAY TRIAL // Not too long ago, Oscar-winning director Sam Mendes was saying that he would not be able to helm the 24th installment in the James Bond franchise because of other work commitments.
According to Deadline, producers EON Productions and distributors Sony and MGM have decided to wait for him until his schedule clears, if that means having him again on board the Daniel Craig / 007 pic.
“That happened because Mendes bowed out, claiming that musical [Charlie and the Chocolate Factory] and King Lear were his new priorities and producers Michael Wilson and Barbara Broccoli seemed resigned and they moved on. Recently, he and the producers got back in touch,” Deadline says.
“While Mendes’ first love is theater, it became clear that the producers wanted him and he wanted to return, and the only thing standing in the way were these stage commitments that Mendes felt obligated to do. So, they’ve decided to wait for him to work through those other commitments, and he’s now making a deal to start production probably next year,” adds the same media outlet.
Daniel Craig is bound to do at least 3 more movies, so fans should expect no surprises on this front.
John Logan is handling the script for the next installment.
While it’s awesome that Mendes agreed to come back (I personally think he did an outstanding, absolutely gorgeous job on “Skyfall”), if the 24th film doesn’t start until he has time for it, this means the release date will actually be later than anyone anticipated.