Daniel Craig as James BondMGM
11 filmmakers have directed one or more of the 24 “007 James Bond” films to date — but Danny Boyle will not be one of them.
The official James Bond Twitter account announced on Tuesday that Boyle — the Oscar-winning filmmaker behind “Slumdog Millionaire,” “Steve Jobs,” “28 Days Later,” and more — exited the untitled 25th Bond film over “creative differences.”
The movie is scheduled for a November 2019 release date and was supposed to start production later this year, which means a replacement director will probably be announced soon if it wants to meet the release date.
Of those 11 Bond directors, none have been a woman or person of color, so with Boyle gone, it feels like a good time to consider the likes of Steve McQueen, Kathryn Bigelow, and more.
But no matter who replaces Boyle, they’ll most likely be directing star Daniel Craig in his last Bond film after he reluctantly came back for his fifth outing as the character. The pressure’s on.
Below are 10 filmmakers who should direct the next James Bond movie:
Kathryn Bigelow
Films include: “The Hurt Locker,” “Zero Dark Thirty,” “Detroit”
If MGM is looking for Oscar-winning filmmakers to take over the Bond franchise, then it should set its sights on Bigelow, the only woman to ever win the best directing Oscar for the 2009 film “The Hurt Locker.” Bigelow is an expert in crafting tension, as seen in her films of real-life high stakes like “Zero Dark Thirty” and “Detroit.”
Scott Cooper
“Hostiles”Entertainment Studios Motion Pictures
Films include: “Crazy Heart,” “Out of the Furnace,” “Black Mass,” “Hostiles”
Cooper’s “Hostiles,” about a 19th century Army captain who reluctantly escorts a Native American family back to their tribal land, was his best film to date. It was criminally overlooked in the 2017-2018 awards circle, but proved he’s ready to take on something bigger like Bond. (It’s also on Netflix in the US.)
Debra Granik
“Leave No Trace”Bleecker Street
Films include: “Winter’s Bone,” “Leave No Trace”
Granik went eight years without releasing a feature film between this year’s “Leave No Trace” and 2010’s “Winter’s Bone,” which earned a best picture Oscar nomination and Jennifer Lawrence her first best actress nomination. But she didn’t lose her edge with “Leave No Trace” and would be a worthy replacement for Boyle on Bond.
David Lowery
“A Ghost Story”Ideaman Studios
Films include: “Ain’t Them Bodies Saints,” “Pete’s Dragon,” “A Ghost Story”
Lowery isn’t known for “action films” in the slightest. He was an unlikely choice for a live-action take on Disney’s “Pete’s Dragon,” and would also be an unlikely choice for a Bond film, the most unlikely on this list. But the same could have been said of Sam Mendes before he delivered with “Skyfall.”
David Mackenzie
“Hell or High Water”Hell or High Water
Films include: “Hell or High Water,” “Outlaw King”
It remains to be seen how Mackenzie’s “Outlaw King” will be received when it arrives on Netflix later this year, but his “Hell or High Water” was one of the best films of 2016, and showed he knows how to balance drama with heart-beating action.
James Mangold
Films include: “Walk the Line,” “3:10 to Yuma,” “The Wolverine,” “Logan”
Mangold was reported to be helming a Boba Fett standalone “Star Wars” movie, but details on that are scarce and Disney’s plans for “Star Wars” spinoffs after “Solo” disappointed are up in the air. So if Mangold is free, he’d be perfect for Bond.
Christopher McQuarrie
“Mission: Impossible — Fallout”Paramount
Films include: “Jack Reacher,” “Mission: Impossible — Ghost Nation,” “Mission: Impossible — Fallout”
The most obvious choice on this list, McQuarrie has delivered two of the best “Mission: Impossible” films, and this year’s “Fallout” is being called the best action movie in years. According to Variety’s Justin Kroll, rumors of McQuarrie replacing Boyle immediately started to swirl once Boyle exited, but that can be taken with a grain of salt.
Steve McQueen
Films include: “Shame,” “12 Years a Slave,” “Widows”
McQueen’s “Widows,” which comes to theaters in November, looks like a tense thriller that makes you wonder what a Bond film would be like in his hands.
Lynne Ramsay
“You Were Never Really Here”Amazon
Films include: “We Need to Talk About Kevin,” “You Were Never Really Here”
Ramsay’s “You Were Never Really Here” garnered widespread critical praise earlier this year. Joaquin Phoenix plays a veteran who uncovers a conspiracy while tracking down a missing girl.
Taylor Sheridan
“Wind River”The Weinstein Company
Films include: “Wind River”
Sheridan wrote the screenplay for “Hell or High Water” and directed last year’s “Wind River.” With “Wind River,” he crafted a dramatic thriller/murder mystery that showed he has what it takes for Bond.
