James Bond may live to see another chapter in his new Amazon home, but British director Danny Boyle has ruled himself out of joining him there.
The Oscar winner (for Slumdog Millionaire) was the director of the 25th Bond movie, until he dropped out in 2018 over creative differences with the producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson. He was replaced by Cary Joji Fukunaga, and the film No Time to Die was released in 2021.
Asked if he would consider picking up the baton again with the sale of the franchise to Amazon, Boyle told Business Insider: “That ship has sailed.”
He added that the one regret he had about leaving the project in 2018 was that “the script was really good. John Hodge (Boyle’s longtime collaborator) is a wonderful writer.”
Business Insider added that Boyle had previously revealed his plot would revolve around a Russian villain, and would have included the death of Bond – as later eventuated in No Time to Die – as actor Daniel Craig had negotiated that finale as part of his contract.
James Bond has been one of the big screen’s great icons since his first outing in 1962’s Dr No under the aegis of producer Albert “Cubby” Broccoli. His daughter Barbara and stepson Wilson inherited the project and have steered the brand into a billion-dollar franchise over the last three decades.
Prior to the headline-grabbing complete buy-out by Amazon, Broccoli said she would not be rushed on finding a replacement for her leading man.
In March, the Daily Mail newspaper quoted an production insider explaining:
“There have been so many erroneous rumours about the future of Bond. Amazon is committed to keeping the spirit of Bond alive and that means he has to be British or from the Commonwealth – and he has to be male.”
