British director Danny Boyle has exited the latest upcoming James Bond movie due to “creative differences,” the producers of the multi-million film franchise said on Tuesday.
“Michael G. Wilson, Barbara Broccoli and Daniel Craig today announced that due to creative differences Danny Boyle has decided to no longer direct Bond 25,” said a statement on the official 007 Twitter account.
Michael G. Wilson, Barbara Broccoli and Daniel Craig today announced that due to creative differences Danny Boyle has decided to no longer direct Bond 25. pic.twitter.com/0Thl116eAd
— James Bond (@007) August 21, 2018
The tweet gave no details of the differences and no information on who would take over from Boyle.
MGM and Annapurna Pictures had dated the film for Nov. 8, 2019, with Universal handling international rights. It is unknown whether Boyle’s exit will have any effect on the release date or production, which was expected to begin in December. Universal was set to release the film in the U.K. on Oct 25, 2019.
Boyle, who guided 2008 movie “Slumdog Millionaire” to eight Oscars, was announced in May as the director of the next Bond movie, when producers Broccoli and Wilson described him in a statement as “exceptionally talented.”The producers also announced that Craig would play the suave British spy for a fifth time.
Sources tell Variety that Eon and Boyle were in the early stages of casting the new Bond girl and villain prior to the December production start. Producers will now act quickly to find Boyle’s replacement.
The Bond franchise is one of the most valuable in the movie industry. The last movie, 2015’s “Spectre,” directed by Sam Mendes, made $880 million at the box office worldwide, while “Skyfall” in 2012, also directed by Mendes, grossed more than $1 billion globally.
(Excerpts) Read More at: Variety.com and Reuters.com