EXCLUSIVE: MGM is announcing that “BOND 23” is set to go into production in late 2011. Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli of EON Productions, together with Gary Barber and Roger Birnbaum, the Co-Chairmen and Chief Executive Officers of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc., today announced that the 23rd James Bond film will have a worldwide release on November 9, 2012 — just as Deadline last month reported it would. Daniel Craig will be returning as the legendary British secret agent, with Sam Mendes directing a screenplay written by Neal Purvis, Robert Wade and John Logan. That script is being kept under wraps but the story begins after Quantum Of Solace leaves off. The reason for the 007 delay is this: Broccoli and Wilson had been in pre-production on Bond #23 for release in 2011 but then it took almost a year for MGM’s future to sort itself out what with the failed auction sale of the studio, then the pre-packaged bankruptcy getting approval, and eventually Spyglass taking over studio filmmaking.
Meanwhile star Daniel Craig filled in the time with various film commitments which he had to finish. The actor began work on the Hollywood remake of the Swedish original The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo as soon as he completed shooting Cowboys and Aliens in a nifty bit of schedule coordination between two studios and James Bond rights holders Broccoli and Wilson.
Mendes at first was brought on as a “consultant” because of the delays, and is now officially the director. He responded to the Bond delay by setting a feature adaptation of the Ian McEwan novel On Chesil Beach and directing the Broadway-bound musical adaptation of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
Yet another James Bond videogame, which also had been held up because of the uncertainty, recently got the go-ahead. Meanwhile, the latest 007 vidgame was for sale this Christmas.
It’s still not clear who will distribute the next Bond. Deadline’s Mike Fleming reported in November that, if MGM isn’t the distributor, the next installment of James Bond will be “a jump ball”. Expect Sony (which distributed Casino Royale) to battle it out with Warner Bros and Fox, but Paramount could emerge in the thick of it because of its close relationship with Spyglass over the film reboot of Star Trek and sequel.
Teetering on the brink of bankruptcy and at the mercy of its creditors, MGM was in the news for more than a year because of its financial woes. While the studio’s beleaguered backers unwisely allowed MGM and its library to languish by not making new movies and benching MGM’s creative and marketing/distribution executives while it staged a futile sales auction that attracted bottom-fishing bids, MGM made sure to meets the minimum obligations to its two gems, James Bond and The Hobbit.
As you know, the James Bond filmmakers operate with great autonomy and watching the MGM situation unfold with a mixture of dismay and curiosity. Dismay because Bond’s longtime studio home was a mess. And curiosity because Broccoli and Wilson hoped to move Bond to a fully functioning studio. Like Sony, where Amy Pascal was dying to keep the famous franchise. Or Fox, which handled Bond’s DVD distribution. Broccoli and Wilson very deliberately made certain they didn’t do anything on Bond #23 which tied the movie further to MGM. (That’s why Mendes was hired as a consulting, not the director. Because once EON hires a director on their Bond films, it triggers a first payment from MGM.) Once the MGM auction apparently busted, EON Productions wanted to keep all its options open.
Meanwhile, Bond 23 may now be casting. Producer Broccoli has been to see actor Simon Russell Beale twice in his current West End play Deathtrap. Also, the Shakespearean actor is starring as King Lear for Bond 23 director Sam Mendes in a National Theatre production in 2012. And he’s exec producing Shakespeare’s History Plays for a new BBC TV season that Mendes is also overseeing. Beale told a UK newspaper earlier this year that he’d already dropped a hint to Mendes that “every actor wants to be in Bond [and] I’d love to be a baddie.”
Finally, I toldja Mendes is going to get it and not Chris Nolan.
God forbid Nolan touching this franchise.
Chris Nolan is busy preping TDKR. It`s impossible for him to work on Bond 23. He only said he would love to make a Bond movie and you bet that, if he ever makes an offer, they`ll jump at opportunity to have him aboard. I get you hate the guy but check the facts.
YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!
I love Daniel!
Ok, look forward to this. Wasn’t keen on Quantum of Solace so hope this is better. But does this mean we will have to wait longer for ‘The Girl who played with Fire’ or would Craig cram both of these in for 2012 releases?
Heres an idea. Watch the ORIGINAL Girl with the Dragon Tatoo and ORIGINAL Girl who Played with Fire.
The way they were INTENDED to be watched, and not remade for us stupid americans to understand.
Subtitles are hard.
“The way they were INTENDED to be watched, and not remade for us stupid americans to understand.”
Speak for yourself, son. Not all of us Americans are stupid, just the ones who think they’re hip because they watch movies with subtitles.
. . . and apparently on Swedish television, JUST like they were originally meant to be seen.
Fincher/Craig/et al will probably also want to take a long second look at the underperformance and generally diminishing creative returns on the two sequels before deciding if they really want to complete this series.
The two sequels were awesome. We need to see the uncut versions of all three films (which are available on DVD/Blu-Ray in Europe, but not in America). The American films are bound to be lame and dumbed-down.
You guys are massive tools. Do you really think the Swedes enjoy watching American movies that contain subtitles? Probably not. No one really wants to WATCH a movie that they also have to read for context, it’s part of the reason why they invented “talkies” to begin with.
Subtitles are not hard. It is the fact that Americans are far down towards the bottom in reading skills. We have to improve literacy in this country.
The new Bond movie should be great.
How about that this is America and I shouldn’t have to read subtitles in my own country. This is an english speaking country, if I want to see swedish movies, I will go there. Saying we are down in reading skills is very insulting.
*headdesk* Well then good sir, I guess we will not market foreign films to you. Have a nice day, not reading subtitles. Since, you know, we don’t force you to watch subtitled films. But obviously you think these multi million dollar pieces of art are all about you.
WHOOOOO HOOOOO!
Not holding out much hope for this one.
So glad to hear this…. Bond is so dearly missed and needs to return as soon as possible…
I hope I’m proved wrong, but what a tragic mistake it is to have Sam Mendes directing a Bond movie, especially with the new life given the series by the casting of Daniel Craig, who is the best Bond since Connery.
Mendes has gone steadily downhill since American Beauty and Road to Perdition, hitting bottom with the self-indulgent and unwatchable Away We Go. Not surprisingly, however, his arrogance has remained intact.
He is unquestionably terrific at the technique and mechanics of filmmaking, including his work with the actors, but his refusal to take a point-of-view on the films he makes renders them pretty but lifeless.
One need look no further than the difference between his Iraq war film, Jarhead, and David O. Russell’s Iraq war film, Three Kings. One made a statement, the other just sat there.
And it’s especially puzzling when he is directing adaptations of books that did have strong points of view, like Jarhead and Revolutionary Road.
Maybe that detachment works in a Bond film, but it seems like it will negate the energy, menace and depth that Craig has brought to the character.
Like I said, I can only hope that I’m proved wrong…
You make somge great points, but Mendes would have to go a long way to make a Bond more limp or incoherent than Marc Forster’s QUANTUM. The Deadline story says BOND 23 will pick up where QOS left off. I hope Mendes and company can figure out where the hell that is. QUANTUM was like spending two hours locked in a washing machine with blood and car parts swirling everywhere.
The series needs a narrative technician who can advance the meta-storyline while working within classic Bond conventions. Forster made an ersatz Bourne that, besides being impossible to follow, is stylistically way, way off the Bondian spine — in the same way that John Glen’s LICENSE TO KILL was essentially a Michael Mann / Miami Vice movie, not a Bond movie.
I have my doubts about Mendes but things could we worse and the franchise has survived worse. QUANTUM, for example.
PS. Forgot to add that I wish the Broccoli/Wilson instinctive, fearful what-would-Cubby-do conservatism and caution didn’t preclude them from hiring Tarantino, who would be genre-faithful and knock this thing out of the park.
Picking up where Quantum of Solace left off is exactly what we want. At the end he has learned the truth and avenged the girl he lost in Casino Royale and learned some tough lessons. Bond at the end of QoS was a Bond ready to get in the game.
Cannot wait for this one!
Love these two posts. Intelligent arguments with some great insights. I, too, loved “Casino Royale” and hated “Quantum of Solace”. It essentially tried to imitate Bourne but did a rotten job of it.
I’m excited about Daniel Craig coming back as Bond but am very reluctant about Mendes taking the helm. I see nothing of his past work that demonstrates he can do an action movie of this caliber. “Road to Perdition” is probably his best comparison. Although not an action movie, it was supposed to have some action elements and instead succeeded in being incredibly pretentious and boring with no sense of tension or intrigue.
That being said, I was one of the people who shunned the idea of Daniel Craig being Bond and was blown away by what he pulled off. I’ll give Mendes a chance but won’t hold my breath.
I pray Eon Productions has FIRED the film editor on Quantum… that horrendously shitty film editing – trying to turn Bond into Bourne Trilogy stuff – ruined every single action sequence. It could not have been worse.
Here’s hoping that Mendes has the menance and time and sudden violence he did in Road To Perdition. That was great craft and fantastic filmmaking few could equal. And also drop dead wonderful casting in every part!
Amen to that. The editing choices on QOS were absolutely deplorable.
Best Bond since Connery? I’d say best Bond since Connery and Lazenby, since those two were about equal (though GL regettably only chose to make one film).
Mendes is a great choice; it’ll be interesting to get his take on the franchise.
Let’s pick a director who’s had bomb after bomb to revitalize the franchise. Real smart there MGM, great way to try to pull yourself out of debt. Who’s bright idea was this?
After a bomb is when you can get a director for cheap.
Quantum was a commercial success, not a bomb.
Reboot it.
Cast Tom Hardy as James Bond and have Chris Nolan direct it. There’s your billion dollar Bond franchise reborn from the ashes of MGM right there.
Put down the Nolan Kool-Aid. Cool filmmaker but not the savior of the industry.
Tom Hardy over Daniel Craig…are you high? Tarantino should be directing this thing not Mendes…Nolan wouldn’t be a bad choice but Tarantino, he would make the best Bond movie EVER.
Looks like we will all, once again, be standing outside in long lines freezing our A**es off waiting to see the newest installment of James Bond…..err, OOOOhhhhh, OOOPPSS…..that was back in the 1960’s in Chicago, when I was a kid standing for blocks with my pals, freezing outside either the State Lake (or Chicago) theater…the ONLY Theater screen in all of Chicago showing the film (back in the old “Road Show” days). Waiting every 2 years and being able to say you have seen every Bond film in a movie theater is better than saying you’ve been to ….every Super Bowl……well, maybe not….but it sure beats waiting 4 years for the next film…….Oh-Oh…Wrong again! I hope my Alma Mater, Paramount gets the distribution, especially appropriate because the State Lake and Chicago theaters were then owned by Balaban & Katz theaters, at one time a part of the Paramount Theater chain. BOND IS BACK!!
Brilliant showbiz news site – but the possible Bond villain’s name is Simon Russell Beale.
Simon Russell Beale is a terrific British stage actor whose charisma doesn’t translate to the screen – he took the role of Widmerpool in TV’s A DANCE TO THE MUSIC OF TIME and made no impression at all, yet he continues to triumph in live theater. Whatever he has, the camera just doesn’t see it.
i agree with u,kevster(sean connery will always be the best bond,there are some idiots who think that pierce brosnan,they know nothing about Bond).hopefully this new one will be better than Quantum of Solace(still,at least Casino Royale is one of the best Bond films of all time).
I have an uneasy feeling that the producers didn’t learn the lessons of Quantum of Solace.
Directors like Roger Michell and Marc Forster were terrible choices for Bond, and Sam Mendes isn’t much better. It was also a mistake to have Paul Haggis and Peter Morgan trying to write the scripts, as EON eventually found it.
It leaves the impression that Barbara Broccoli is desperately trying to turn Bond into an Oscar-caliber franchise, and the truth is that it simply isn’t. Such an approach is not what has kept audiences returning for so many decades.
Casino Royale worked because it was written well in advance of this current mentality- and even before Daniel Craig entered the picture. If they try to return after a four year absence with yet another dull, pretentious entry, it may force the franchise back into hibernation.
“It leaves the impression that Barbara Broccoli is desperately trying to turn Bond into an Oscar-caliber franchise, and the truth is that it simply isn’t. Such an approach is not what has kept audiences returning for so many decades.”
Bingo. I really think that you hit the nail in the head. IMO, it`s a trend that started after LOTR became such a success with AMPAS – franchises that were always about entertainment suddenly got Oscar aspirations (remember Spiderman 2? Lots of psycho-analysing, some weird indie s*** like Rain Drops scene,etc) . Than TDK came really close and the brouhaha over its Oscar snub is believed to be the reason for expension of Best Picture category to 10. So there`s definitely a trend and you are absolutely right – they are Oscarizing Bond.
“Directors like Roger Michell and Marc Forster were terrible choices for Bond, and Sam Mendes isn’t much better. It was also a mistake to have Paul Haggis and Peter Morgan trying to write the scripts, as EON eventually found it.”
I agree completely about the directors but not about Haggis. While inconsistent, Haggis did a bang-up job on Casino Royale. The dialogue between Bond and Vesper sparkled in a way that it never did in the book nor in any of the previous films. Haggis deserves a fair amount of the credit for CR.
All you film devotees and your analytics bore me. Who Cares!!!
Just fill that big screen up with that BODACIOUS Daniel Craig and I’d stand on my head and watch the whole movie!!! He is scrumpdillyicious!!!! GO BOND!!!!
The Daniel Craigs Bonds are without a doubt the best since Connery. The tone and the hard core violence of the Craig Bond are in stark contrast to the farce of the middle Bonds.
They have taken Bond so far away from what he is, they seem to have no idea how to bring him back. Bond is a government contract killer, with a soul. He is haunted by his adventures in the books which is why he drinks and smokes so much and sleeps around with abandon. Now he is almost a monk with no sense of humor, who doesn’t smoke, barely drinks. He’s boring.
Hear that Eon? You have made Bond boring. He is a cipher where he once was a fun, interesting and thrilling character.
And your muddled PC world-view doesn’t deal with reality at all. You Only Live Twice was more realistic than some of the lame plots we’ve seen lately (like the North Korean moderates in last Pierce film). Quantum was a boring, unwatchable mess. It made money because of the franchise, not the picture. You can only exploit the good will of the fans for so long.
Ahhhh………lets see the last Bond film was terrible as in trash, as the first 15 seconds were good, the rest sucked. Get the director who directed “Taken”, Pierre Morel. He knows more about directing an action film than you will ever need to know and all you have to do is watch “Taken”, and judge for yourself. Better than the last Bond flick by far and if this is what he can do with his small film, you will be kissing his ass if he accepts. Luc Besson and Robert Mark Kamen are both responsible too for this great movie made in 2009.
+1 on that, Stephen…I’d pay to see “Taken” again, they’d have to pay me to sit through “QOS” (unless I really needed a nap).
Too bad — I was hoping the delay might force a recast. Craig could be a good Bond villain, I suppose…but Bond??? And can we please lighten up again, and have the old misogynist Bond back, Miss “I Need to Make James a Fucking Pussy So Women Ticket Buyers Will Show Up” Broccoli? Daddy knew how to do it better, I’m afraid, dear. I miss having a good time at the Bonds…and the last time that happened was with Connery and Moore.
I agree with Donna, I miss the humor, dialogue, and great supporting characters of the past films. The last two Bonds weren’t a whole lot of fun. I mean how many times do you want to watch a guy literally getting his balls busted! Although that scene did have one of the only witty lines in the movie.
What are you people talking about??? The new Bond isn’t a pussy at all, he’s the biggest ass-kicker out of all of them. Connery at his prime wouldn’t last two minutes against Craig with those weak-ass judo chops and body flips. Both Connery and Moore would be laid out flat with Brosnan soon to follow.
And so what if his demeanor towards women has softened? Who wants to watch a self loathing prick drink, smoke, screw and kill for two hours with reckless abandon? Go watch SIN CITY if you want that shit, Bond has more class than that.
The character has evolved from the 1960’s just like we have. World political climates and social standards change and so must we. Boring??? You people just don’t know the good stuff when you see it. Bond is exactly where he needs to be right now. Yes, QUANTUM OF SOLACE was a disjointed mess but the series has finally evolved into the franchise it needs to be. We have a woman playing M who finally does more than sit behind a desk and hand out dossiers and an African American playing Felix Leiter. It’s called progress, people, get over it. Come out from the cave and learn to walk upright.
I for one have high hopes for BOND 23 and am thrilled that Craig is still onboard.
Corey iknow that i have read your comment kinda late but i truly agree with your words 100%!! The world has changed. And surely not for better. Daniel Craig is a great actor and fits the role of a 21st century Justice Agent!! No more womanizing or fake karate chops.
Even though Fred appears to be a profound imbecile, I agree the Bond franchise must avoid being PC at all costs. Bond’s swagger would never allow it.
Bond 23, to start off where QoS left off, is right on! Fashion ads always sell like expensive jewelry, or, expensive jewelry found, nets a large profit, for the necklace contains info.
Bond 23 has lots of room with the CR, QoS story. I’d imagine Bond would want more training and issue resolution after such CR,QoS. A little R&R on a beach, a little team building, of Q and Monneypenny. Done right, I’d imagine a Bond 24,25 to end the Craig contract.
Heck, even Green could return, with the Quantum organization, how do we really know that MI6 does not have another mole, and their intel about Green is correct? Doubles exist in some groups, why not Quantum?
Hope the best for the Bond series. But then the screenplay is written as reported!
Shame, and I was just working on my own private short story for bond 23,24,25. Perhaps, another movie will tell the tale.
Chris Nolan could easily make one of the best Bond films of all time. He was never in the running for Bond 23 (he’s shooting a little film called The Dark Knight Rises, you may have heard of it) but if MGM are smart they will snap him up for Bond 24.
As much as I`d love Nolan to follow TDKR (which I can`t wait to see) with another original brilliance, he`d do wonders for Bond 24.
I will watch, and enjoy, any Bond movie they make.
I have my favorite actors, stories, and directors, but I will watch them all.
I hope they do well with it, a better Bond movie is always what we should strive for, but I am just glad they are keeping the franchise going.
Eventually they will get it right(er)
Well, somehow Barber and Birnbaum — who already are turning MGM into “Spyglass Deluxe” (read: safe, unoriginal projects that bomb save for name tentpole releases) — will undoubtedly screw this up. Putting these guys in charge of MGM is the biggest bonehead move the creditors could have made.
Like the Kevster says; Craig is the best bond since Connery. NO doubt about it. I could not stand the M character in all of the Brosnan mangina efforts. Somehow Craig makes her likeable. A real feat. Casino Royale is a rare film that gets better every time you watch it. “Jobs done…bitch is dead”. Dont blow it Mendes.
Well finally. Poor Daniel Craig might die from old age when they will decide to release that new Bond movie :)
I don’t know about this. Craig was fine in Casino Royale. I liked him. And I like him as a person and actor. But he will be 43 in march. And the age shows on his face. He looks old and beat up in recent pictures. He is just too old to play “running and fighting, always handsome hunk” Bond. Remember how Peirce was in his almost 50 in Die Another Day. And looked like cartoon. It’s hard to accept Daniel when he will fight and run around and bed chicks like he is 25.
It’s actually time to recast Bond. I agree with Tom Hardy. Best choice this time. Or release that next Bond film finally and then recast. You know it will be another tear-dropping drama when we will sit and for months guessing who will it be. And those Twihards will come and scream that Lautner/Pattinson are the best choices. Because they are like so talented. And Justin Timberlake will come and try for the part. And Zac Efron too. And Ryan Reynolds will think that he is perfect Bond…
Gosh I already want that game to start :)
Craig does appear far too old to still be playing the role as a fresh recruit. They should at least pretend that he’s already been on the job a few years.
Oh please, the last thing we need is a pretty boy. I wanna see someone who has some mileage on him. Craig is fine for another Bond movie.
I wanna see someone who has some mileage on him.
Well that’s basically the point. Craig looks like he has plenty of mileage, yet he apparently still wants to play Bond as someone slowly learning how to be a 00 agent. It just doesn’t make any sense.
It’s also going to be silly to see him paired with a Bond girl in her 20s (as EON will likely do) and being introduced to characters like Q or Moneypenny for the first time. Of course, that may be why they are still expected to keep Judi Dench hanging around, since she’s the only character that will help Craig appear “young”.
They should hire Julian Assenge of Wikileaks as the crafty villain.