Sam Mendes won’t direct next James Bond film
Sam Mendes says it’s time for a new director to tackle James Bond.
The British director said Saturday that he would not return to helm the next installment in the long-running spy series, telling the audience at the Hay Festival of literature in Wales he believed it was “time for somebody else.”
“It was an incredible adventure, I loved every second of it,” Mendes said of the five years he worked on the two most recent franchise films, according to an Associated Press report. But, he explained, “I’m a storyteller and at the end of the day I want to make stories with new characters.”
Mendes directed “Skyfall” in 2012 and last year’s “Spectre,” the 23rd and 24th films, respectively, in the iconic series based on Ian Fleming’s novels that originated with Sean Connery in 1962.
The former theater director, who scored an Academy Award for “American Beauty,” told the crowd he hoped the next Bond auteur would come from an “unexpected direction,” similar to his own unlikely selection to direct Bond movies.
Mendes’ exit comes as rumors have intensified that Daniel Craig won’t return to play Bond for a fifth time.
Among those talked about to play Agent 007 are Tom Hiddleston and Idris Elba, both favorites with movie and TV fans. But Mendes said that decision will be in the hands of series producer Barbara Broccoli, not fans.
“It’s not a democracy,” Mendes said. “Barbara Broccoli decides who is going to be the next Bond, end of story.”
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