New questions about Bond 24

“More questions?”

The July 11 announcement that Sam Mendes is returning to the 007 series to direct Bond 24 and that the film will come out in fall 2015 was the biggest Bond news this year. But, once more, there are questions.

Didn’t Mendes once say the thought of directing Bond 24, after spending so much time on Skyfall, made him “physically ill”?

Indeed he did.

What happened to change his mind? Perhaps it was the prospect of a big raise. Perhaps having a break from Bond (and the chance to work on some stage projects) changed his point of view. Regardless, producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson, according to multiple accounts, courted him intensely for Bond 24, even after he turned them down. Also, when everybody is telling you how wonderful you are, that’s a powerful enticement.

Anything about the release catch your eye? In the release, there was this quote attributed to Sony executives: “EON, John Logan and Sam Mendes have come up with an extraordinary follow up to SKYFALL and we, along with our partners at MGM, can’t wait to share this new chapter with audiences all over the world.”

That might be merely hype, but it does lay down the gauntlet. The Sony executives didn’t have to say that. Thus, it’s a bit of self-induced pressure. (Sony Pictures’ Columbia Pictures will release Bond 24, as it has every 007 film since 2006’s Casino Royale.)

Anything else in the release of note? John Logan is the only writer mentioned. That doesn’t mean others might not be brought into the fold later but, for now, Logan is the man as far as scripting is concerned.

Have any other crew members been announced? No. (You can CLICK HERE to read the entire press release.) But given that Mendes has a long-standing relationship with composer Thomas Newman, it would appear to be a good guess that the Oscar-nominated composer will return and David Arnold, the five-time 007 composer, won’t.

Will the gunbarrel logo finally return to the start of a 007 movie with Bond 24? A guess: the odds are 007-1 against it. A gunbarrel logo at the start was the old 007 series. Starting with Casino Royale, Wilson and Broccoli have sought something “for ourselves.” There may even be stories about how Mendes & Co. really, really tried but just couldn’t bring it off.

Note: We’d love to be proven wrong. But until the gunbarrel actually shows up at the start of a 007 film, count this blog as skeptical.

OCTOBER 2012 POST: GOOD-BYE, SOLD FRIEND (SKYFALL SPOILER)

MARCH 2013 POST: WHY WE GUESS BOND 24 WON’T BE OUT UNTIL AT LEAST 2015

MAY 2013 POST: MORE SIGNS BOND 24 WON’T BE OUT UNTIL AT LEAST 2015

Mendes to direct Bond 24, movie due out in 2015

Sam Mendes: back for Bond 24

Sam Mendes, after initially rejecting it, has opted to direct Bond 24, which has a 2015 release date, ACCORDING TO THE OFFICIAL 007.COM WEB SITE.

An excerpt:

Producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli, EON Productions; Gary Barber, Chairman & CEO, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer; Michael Lynton, CEO, Sony Entertainment, Inc, and Amy Pascal, Co-Chairman of Sony Pictures Entertainment today announced that Daniel Craig will once again return as the legendary British secret agent in the 24th James Bond film and Sam Mendes will also return to direct the screenplay written by John Logan. The film is set for release in the UK on October 23, 2015 and in the US on November 6, 2015.

SKYFALL the 23rd James Bond film, took in $1.1 billion worldwide and set a new mark as the highest-grossing film of all time in the UK; it was the best-selling Bond film on DVD/Blu-ray and was the most critically acclaimed film in the history of the longest-running film franchise.

Commenting on the announcement, Wilson and Broccoli said, “Following the extraordinary success of SKYFALL, we’re really excited to be working once again with Daniel Craig, Sam Mendes and John Logan.”