Jesus, the news is flying fast in the new year. Speaking of Bond, delays on ‘Bond 23’ you say?
Well, first of all, a MGM contact has emailed FusedInFilm and denied all kinds of delay reports despite the fact that the Bond producers themselves have said the timetable for shooting is now “up in the air.”
Further casting doubt on any potential problems, the film has apparently found its director in Academy Award-winning director Sam Mendes (“Revolutionary Road,” “American Beauty”) according to HeatVision (or at least he’s in negotiations). But it makes sense.
Smart move on Mendes’ part in this weak film climate. Jump onto a tentpole with a brain — hopefully anyhow, Peter Morgan is the writer — try and make it something respectable and sharp ala “Casino Royale” and basically finish-up when the storm is (hopefully) over (though god, if the Oscars are going to nominate “Avatar,” “Star Trek” & “District 9” for Best Pictures, the film industry as we know it might be totally fucked).
A June production start date is being eyed (so much for those delays) and a 2011 release date is being sought. Though we should note, like every Bond film, two pre-existing Bond hacks — Neal Purvis and Robert Wade — are always writing alongside whichever new person comes on board (they keep it dumb and tentpole-y, the new person hopefully adds some oxygen and intelligence levels).
Mendes has never done action before (“Jarhead” doesn’t count, it’s a drama), but at the end of the day, that shouldn’t matter. It’s what stunt coordinators and trained DPs are for. The ‘Bourne’ movies are beloved and a global hit because they were above-average action films (i.e., they were not only action-y and thrilling, they had a brain).