After much mystery,Danny Boylehas confirmed his tentative plans to write and direct the latestJames Bondfilm, currently referred to asBond 25, by the end of the year. Now, while that’s exciting, alotof things have to fall in place before production can get going on the next chapter of Bond’s thrilling adventures.
Speaking toMetro(viaThe Playlist), Boyle not only confirmed that he’s still working on the script forBond 25, but that he aims to direct it starting at the end of the year. Additionally,John Hodge(Trainspotting) was also confirmed as the screenwriter; it’s the pair’s idea for the latest James Bond feature that they’re shaping and finalizing at the moment, and everything going forward hinges on its success. Boyle is currently working onRichard Curtis' (Love Actually) untitled comedy-musical film, which will be his next project in the pipeline. The question is, does that leave enough prep time in the run-up toBond 25if he wants to start shooting this year?
Here’s what Boyle had to say regarding the picture’s status:
“We are working on a script right now. And it all depends on that really. I am working on a Richard Curtis script at the moment. We hope to start shooting that in 6 or 7 weeks. Then Bond would be right at the end of the year. But we are working on them both right now.
“We’ve got an idea, John Hodge, the screenwriter, and I have got this idea, and John is writing it at the moment. And it all depends on how it turns out. It would be foolish of me to give any of it away.”
Bond 25is currently slated for a July 08, 2025 release date, so a production start late this year would certainly give Boyle enough time for post-production and the marketing ramp-up to get the picture out on time. But with Curtis' picture taking up Boyle’s schedule in the meantime, we’ll have to wait to see if he hits his filming start date by the end of the year. The Oscar-winning director is absolutely capable of pulling this off and he’s got the experience needed for a film of this size. The next thing we’ll need to hear is that the script is locked in, and then we’ll feel a bit better about the timing.
