The only thing we know for sure about the director of the next James Bond movie is that it won’t be Christopher Nolan. The “Dunkirk” helmer has ruled himself out of the never ending rumor mill for the gig, but another Brit has swapped into his place.
Variety reports that Danny Boyle is now being considered for the job, but notes that no actual offer has been made. Yann Demange (” ’71,” the upcoming “White Boy Rick“) is still apparently the frontrunner for the gig, but the suits (and probably Daniel Craig) are going through one last hunt to find a bigger name.
So, what does Boyle bring to the table? Besides a Best Director trophy for “Slumdog Millionaire,” and a CV that boasts “Trainspotting,” “127 Hours,” and “28 Days Later,” he’s actually worked with Craig as Bond before. You might have forgotten, but Boyle directed the opening ceremony for the 2012 London Olympics, which featured a sketch featuring Daniel Craig’s Bond alongside Queen Elizabeth II. So, there’s a relationship already there, however small.
That being said, Boyle has previously been dismissive about directing a Bond movie. “I’m not really the guy for those movies,” he told EW in 2013. “What we do, right, is we use genre — you take a genre, like [‘Trance‘] has got a few genres running in it, you use a genre to try and get you in the mainstream. It’s a vehicle to boost you into the mainstream. And then you f— with the genre. You twist it and change it and move it around. You can’t do it on those big movies. You genuflect in front of them. Too much money, too expectation. It’s the faith of the fans, it’s all that. You’ve got to be very careful. It’s very tempting of course — I love the movies, I love the books, but I’m not the right guy for those.”
However, the right paycheck and circumstances could change that opinion, so it’ll be interesting to see if Boyle is more receptive to the opportunity now.
Boyle’s latest project, the FX series “Trust,” debuts on March 25th.