When it comes to James Bond, most of the talk has centered on who will replace Daniel Craig as 007. However, there's another, potentially more important issue for us to discuss: Who will direct the next Bond film? Sam Mendes, who helmed both "Skyfall" and "Spectre," is stepping away from the franchise. As we've learned over the years, a spy is only as good as his intel, and a James Bond movie is only as good as its director.
As the series looks to re-tool on the fly, a new name has been mentioned in connection to the job. According to a recent report from RadioTimes, Susanne Bier may be a contender to take on directing duties for "Bond 25." Bier may not be a familiar name to casual movie-goers, but her recent AMC spy-centric miniseries "The Night Manager" has been very well-received.
This move makes even more sense when you remember that actor Tom Hiddleston, the star of "The Night Manager," was recently tabbed as the front-runner to replace Craig. Their familiarity and comfort with one another would likely translate well to the screen. Hiddleston has proven with "The Night Manager" that he can play a good spy, though an AMC miniseries doesn't quite compare to the big-screen shoes he'd have to fill as 007.
If Bier is chosen for "Bond 25," she would be the first woman to ever direct an installment in the 50-year-old-plus series. In fact, she'd be one of the few women to ever be given a $100 million budget to direct a blockbuster tentpole. After the underwhelming "Spectre," the Bond series could use an infusion of new blood and perspective, though the recent push to gender swap James Bond is a different conversation entirely.
As of now, this is all still just unconfirmed reporting. It's possible that Bier is on the radar of franchise producer Barbara Broccoli, and it's possible that Broccoli has never even heard of Bier. All we're saying is that Bier would be an interesting and unexpected choice, so stay open to the possibility.
There is no timetable for the next Bond movie as of now.
