K.T Simpson
With the recent announcement that “James Bond 25” given a November 2019 release date, there are 2 questions on everyone’s lips: who will play Bond, and who is going to direct? Rumours are still flying around that Daniel Craig will reprise the role as Bond, but other names are still in the mix including Idris Elba, Tom Hardy, Damian Lewis, Aiden Turner and James Norton.
Director of “Skyfall” and “Spectre” Sam Mendes is officially out of the picture, so of course the next big move will be selecting who is to direct the 25th installment of 007. Deadline has revealed that the shortlist of directors for the film includes Yann Demange, Denis Villeneuve and David Mackensie – who are reportedly the three frontrunners for the job. Previously Christopher Nolan and Edgar Wright’s names have also been chucked in the ring. However Nolan, and another director Paul McGuigan (“Sherlock”) have both stated that they’d only get involved if the franchise needed rebooting.
Out of the three frontrunners, Villeneuve perhaps has the most experience, with recent credits including “Arrival” and the upcoming “Blade Runner 2049”. In saying that, a potential conflict with Legendary’s “Dune” could take him out of the running. Mackensie is also hot property, having received a ‘Best Picture’ nomination for “Hell or High Water”. Demange is perhaps the most novice of the three, but Variety have noted that he is the overall frontrunner.
While the flick is also hunting for a director, they’re also looking for a new distributor as their deal with Sony has run out. It’s believed that Warner Bros. is the closest to landing the deal. While we can speculate as much as we like, we will have to wait for some official announcements before finding out who will be helming the next “Bond”. It’s set for a November 8, 2019 release.
Another film that is reportedly having director-pains is “Gotham City Sirens”, the Harley Quinn spinoff movie with Margot Robbie in the lead role. David Ayer, who directed “Suicide Squad”, is currently sitting in the director’s chair, but reports suggest that he may be exiting the role. No confirmation or official world has been given about the film thus far, as well as not being brought up at Comic-Con – it wasn’t included in the logo lineup unveiled.
Mashable has reported that Ayer’s future at the DCEU might be limited, and noting that he may be off the project. Ayer’s rep flatly denied that he’s off the project, and noted that it’s currently in development, with the script still incomplete. However Mashable have commented a few things suggesting that Ayer may in fact move on, with him expressing his “discontent with his WB/DC experience at his Comic-Con panel on Thursday for Bright, the fantasy buddy-cop film that Netflix gave him $90 million to make.” He also added that it’s stressful to make a film, and used the term “bullshit standard issue PG-13 movie” – of which “Suicide Squad” was one.
So at this stage Ayer is still attached to the project, but doubts are starting to seep in for both the future of “Gotham City Sirens” and Ayer’s involvement.
