Sam Mendes, who directed the enormously successful 23rd film in the James Bond franchise last year, had said that he would be too busy to do Bond 24, but just a few months ago that all changed when it was reported that he was back in talks with MGM and Sony. Now, the studios have officially confirmed that the Oscar winner will be back for another round of 007 action.
In a press release, Sony, MGM and EON Productions’ Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli said that Mendes, who won an Oscar for 1999’s American Beauty, will direct Bond 24. Daniel Craig will return as Bond and John Logan will also be writing the script. He was one of the co-writers on Skyfall.
The producers also said that Bond 24 will be out on Oct. 23, 2015 in the U.K. and on Nov. 6, 2015 in the U.S. That adds yet another blockbuster to 2015’s schedule. MGM CEO Gary Barber said in March that it will be three years between Skyfall and the new Bond movie, so it looks like the studios are sticking with that target.
As for Mendes, it really sounded like he was committed to not doing Bond 24. In March, he said he would definitely not do it because of other commitments, but in May, Deadline reported that Mendes was back in talks.
Skyfall ended up grossing $1.1 billion worldwide and won Oscars for its sound editing and Adele’s acclaimed title song.
image: Sony