Next James Bond film gets greenlight

November 8, 2010 By Ryan Fleming

The 23rd film in the James Bond franchise has escaped MGM’s financial limbo and has received a greenlight, with hopes of a November 2012 release.

Good news for fans of James Bond — MGM sucks a little less! If you have managed to skip all the ridiculousness going on at MGM, things were looking bleak for the next film in the James Bond franchise, despite the fact that the film itself was ready to go and the franchise was doing extremely well following the Daniel-Craig-led reboot. Oscar-winning director Sam Mendes (American Beauty, Away We Go) was on board to direct, and the cast including Daniel Craig and Dame Judi Dench were all confirmed to return. Then MGM had a bit of a meltdown.

$4 billion of debt may not be much compared to the American deficit, but it is enough to cripple a once successful film studio and put every property (even the successful ones) on indefinite hold. Things weren’t looking good for Bond. After all, if The Hobbit – which is part of the series of movies that earned close to $3 billion at the box office alone — couldn’t get greenlit, what chance did Bond have?

Thankfully MGM has announced that it will be filing for bankruptcy, and after fighting off a potential takeover from Carl Icahan, the restructuring will soon begin. The Hobbit was the first to receive a greenlight, and now the next installment of James Bond is also set to begin pre-production, with an eye on a November 2012 release date.

And that’s not all. According to a report from MTV, MGM is planning on releasing a new Bond film every two years. Daniel Craig is confirmed for the coming movie, and he does have a five-picture deal in place, but whether or not Mendes returns is still up in the air and will likely be down to scheduling.

Showing 12 comments

Apurva at 1:08pm 17th March 2011 Yes to Daniel Craig the best but Robert Downey can be a good choice
James iyer at 1:56am 12th December 2010 I have seen Connery. Its time for Craig to carry the mantle, and show to the World that the work of a Secret agent is no cake walk, and it requires some superior intelligence to survive(both Bond and the franchise). -James Iyer
Guest at 5:27am 10th December 2010 OK Bond fans, I've ben an avid Bond fan since # 1 Bond flick-Doctor No. Connery was THE actor for Bond. Hands down, don't care if he's a Brit, a Scot and American or what. He was the perfect fit for Bond. Roger Moore was a comedian in a Bond disguise. Thought both Brosnan and Dalton were vast improvements over Moore. Craig is OK is guess. Verdit is still out and awaiting on Craig's # 3 outing to see if it can match up to Casino Royale, Dalton's or Brosnan's performances.
anonymous at 11:40am 4th December 2010 HUGH LAURIE! bahahaha
Guest at 5:42pm 25th November 2010 Bort Girther would be a GREAT actor to play the part!
guest at 5:41pm 25th November 2010 No American should play the role of James Bond. It should be a British/Scottish actor of some sort.
Scott Rossi. at 10:23am 11th November 2010 Ah, but Sean Connery wasn't British either. He was Scottish, and has often worn a kilt which is close to being British, geographically speaking, since they are close to each other. Plus, Pierce Brosnan is Irish, though maybe it would be a bit of stretch to have an American play Bond. Although Downey Jr. did play Sherlock Holmes which is as British as it gets.
1. James Quigley at 2:04pm 17th November 2010 a little faux pas there, Scotland is in fact part of Britain.
2. Loge at 7:58pm 4th February 2011 Also, the James Bond in the novels IS Scottish (from a Scottish father and a Swiss mother), not English. :-
Scott Rossi. at 10:21am 11th November 2010 Ah, but Sean Connery wasn't English either. He was Scottish, and has often worn a kilt which is close to being English, geographically speaking, since they are close to each other. Plus, Pierce Brosnan is Irish, though maybe it would be a bit of stretch to have an American play Bond.
Laura at 6:24pm 9th November 2010 I think Rober Downey Jr. could play James Bond. He is tough,. good looking and smart.
1. Marcellus Knight at 12:19am 10th November 2010 But he isn't british.