‘Trainspotting’ director confirms he will direct the next James Bond movie

By Rick Marshall March 15, 2018

Image used with permission by copyright holder

Agent 007’s next big-screen adventure has an official release date and now it has a director, too.

Academy Award winner Danny Boyle will direct the still-untitled 25th installment of the James Bond franchise, which is set to star Daniel Craig in his final performance as the iconic secret agent.

Boyle confirmed that he will be behind the camera for Bond’s next adventure during an interview tied to his FX series Trust, and indicated that his frequent collaborator John Hodge (Trainspotting, Shallow Grave) is currently working on the script for the film.

“We are working on a script right now,” he told Metro. “And it all depends on that really. … Then Bond would [begin shooting] right at the end of the year.”

Boyle indicated that the plot of the film is rooted in an idea he and Hodge had for Agent 007. The script will likely need to be approved by James Bond studio Eon Productions before anything is official.

“We’ve got an idea, John Hodge, the screenwriter, and I have got this idea, and John is writing it at the moment,” he said. “And it all depends on how it turns out. It would be foolish of me to give any of it away.”

Boyle’s confirmation comes after a long period of speculation surrounding the 25th installment of the series that had three other filmmakers rumored for the job less than a year ago. Among the filmmakers once reported to be in the running were Arrival and Blade Runner 2049 director Denis Villeneuve, Hell or High Water director David Mackenzie, and ’71 and White Boy Rick director Yann Demange.

That list of contenders was first reported by Deadline, and Variety later indicated that Demange was the frontrunner to take over the blockbuster franchise.

Boyle steps into some fairly big cinematic shoes with the Bond franchise. The previous two installments of the franchise — 2012’s Skyfall and 2015’s Spectre — were directed by Sam Mendes and were the highest-grossing films in the series so far. Collectively, the two films earned nearly $1 billion worldwide.

The 25th film in the James Bond franchise is currently scheduled to hit theaters November 8, 2019.

Updated on March 15: Added news that Danny Boyle will direct the film.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics

Former Digital Trends Contributor

A veteran journalist with more than two decades of experience covering local and national news, arts and entertainment, and…

Entertainment

25 years ago, The Matrix led a mini movement of sci-fi simulation thrillers

A man walks into a simulation in The Thirteenth Floor.

One way to grasp how fully our relationship to computers changed over the 1990s is to look at the cyberthrillers Hollywood made during that time. Mass surveillance, identity theft, the hacking of the soul — all the nascent technological anxieties of this new era were uploaded to movie screens like a virus. But there was no stopping what was coming, and over just 10 years, a world merely flirting with mass connectivity went irreversibly online. By the end of the decade (and, by extension, the century and millennium), the internet had become a major part of everyday life for many people. In turn, the word of warning evolved at the movies. Suddenly, computers weren’t just threatening your safety, your privacy, and your humanity. They were replacing life itself.

In the spring of 1999, the American multiplex was inundated with variations on that scary conclusion. First came The Matrix, a savvy sleeper blockbuster that used irresistible pop philosophy as the Krazy Glue of its spirited genre pastiche. Mere weeks later, eXistenZ, a weird Canadian thriller, dabbled in similar ideas, while bending them into the less mainstream shape of a drolly deranged espionage movie. And a few weeks later still, on Memorial Day weekend, we got The Thirteenth Floor, a twisty neo-noir about realities within realities that had the misfortune of opening in the wake of not just Matrix mania, but also the box-office event that was Star Wars: Episode 1—The Phantom Menace.

Entertainment

7 best 2010s fantasy movies, ranked

Neville, Hermione, Ron, and Harry inside a dark tunnel in HP and the Deathly Hallows Part 2.

For the fantasy genre, the 2010s were a time of both bittersweet endings and exciting beginnings. Dominated by epic franchises that would captivate fans across the globe, there were significant contributions to the genre and cinema as a whole from that era. Of course, there were also acclaimed standalone fantasy movies from talented directors who would use the best aspects of the genre while pushing its boundaries.

From the magical clash within Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows to the captivating story of The Shape of Water, the best fantasy movies of the 2010s offer spectacular and otherworldly viewing experiences for audiences of all ages. Full of rich fantastical realms, well-written heroes and foes, and spell-binding stories, these films have cemented their place in cinematic history as must-see significant entries in the fantasy genre.
7. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012)

Entertainment

What’s new on Amazon Prime Video in May 2024

Nicholas Galitzine and Anne Hathaway in The Idea of You.

Unlike some other streaming services in May, Amazon Prime Video is giving subscribers all of the movies that they can handle. Everything from classic Westerns like 3:10 To Yuma and comedies like Airplane! to dramas like Cold Mountain and more are arriving on May 1. Even the German thriller Run Lola Run is back on Prime Video. And if you haven't seen it yet, you should -- it's terrific.

Prime Video is also premiering new originals in May, including Anne Hathaway's new romantic drama The Idea of You, as well as Outer Range season 2, The GOAT, and Clarkson's Farm. George Clooney's period drama The Boys in The Boat is also arriving on Prime Video this month, but not until May 28.