After Sam Mendes opted not to return to helm the upcoming 24th installment of the James Bond franchise, Eon and Sony Pictures have been on the hunt for a new director with an eye towards getting the next film out by 2016.  While rumors swirled recently that Christopher Nolan was considering the job, the notion seemed highly unlikely because A.) he’s busy prepping to shoot Interstellar this summer and B.) he has already stated in the past that he’d like to direct a Bond film when he can reboot the franchise with a new actor.

Following Mendes’ Skyfall will be no small task, but it appears that Eon and Sony are aiming for the cream of the filmmaking crop as directors such as Ang Lee, Nicolas Winding Refn, and Iron Man 3 helmer Shane Black have reportedly been considered for the director’s chair.  Hit the jump for more. [Update: Now Deadline reports that Sam Mendes has changed his mind and is in talks to return to helm Bond 24.  Read the full story here.]

We would have been happy with Casino Royale; we really, really would. Daniel Craig’s debut as James Bond was such a revelation – such an infusion of modern cool into 007’s timeless sensibilities – that he could have spent the remainder of his tenure doodling on a napkin and we still would have deemed him a success.  So we accepted the flawed nature of Quantum of Solace without raising much fuss; enjoying its eccentricities and letting its middling status slide with the assumption that Craig’s ride would be more of the same. Little did we know that the best was yet to come: the inestimable Skyfall, which not only affirmed the character’s relevance for the 21^st Century, but set a new standard for all future entries in the series.  Best Bond ever?  Goldfinger may edge it by the thinnest of margins, but even then, I’m inclined to give it a little space on the podium.  Hit the jump for the review.

If The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo had been the smashing success Sony hoped for, we would probably be getting the sequel, The Girl Who Played with Fire, by the end of this year.  Surprisingly, audiences didn’t want to watch “The Feel Bad Movie of Christmas”, and while the film managed to gross $232 million worldwide, it was still a disappointment when you consider the $90 million budget.  Sony wants to continue The Millennium Series, but the studio is carefully considering how to proceed.

Hit the jump for what the future may hold for Lisbeth Salander.

The Broadcast Film Critics Association announced the winners of the 18th annual Critics’ Choice Movie Awards tonight.  While Ben Affleck was noted as the lesser of the Best Director snubs when Oscar nominations were announced this morning, the BFCA named Affleck Best Director and his Argo Best Picture.  They feature genre awards—action, comedy, and sci-fi/horror all have their own Best Picture category—so there’s a bit of an “everybody gets a trophy” philosophy.  But that allowed Jennifer Lawrence to pick up two trophies: Best Actress in an Action Movie (The Hunger Games) and Best Actress in a Comedy (Silver Linings Playbook).  Silver Linings Playbook earned four total; the Best Comedy winner brought Lawrence’s co-star Bradley Cooper Best Actor in a Comedy and the rest of the cast Best Acting Ensemble.

The four primary acting awards went to major Oscar contenders Daniel Day-Lewis, Jessica Chastain, Philip Seymour Hoffman, and Anne Hathaway.  But the BFCA also found room for Collider favorites Skyfall, Looper, and Cloud Atlas.  See the full list after the break.

Believe the hype.  Skyfall, the latest entry in the now 50 year-old James Bond series, is not only as big as everyone said it would be… it’s bigger. Over its first weekend in domestic release, Skyfall took in an estimated $87.8 million from 3,505 locations, or a total of $90 million with Thursday previews included. Not only does that crush Bond’s previous-best opening of $67.5 million, it stands as the fourth-highest debut of the year behind The Avengers, The Dark Knight Rises and The Hunger Games.

Last night I uncovered a gem from 2011 for the first time and my only regret is that I didn’t take the time to seek it out sooner. Writer/director Thomas McCarthy‘s dramedy Win Win is not only consistently funny but also chock full of both heartwarming and heartbreaking moments. The performances are terrific all-around, the script is strong albeit somewhat easy to telegraph, and the wrestling scenes are even surprisingly intense at times (I mean, it was nominated for a prestigious ESPY for “Best Sports Film” after all). Matt gave the film his full endorsement when he reviewed it at Sundance 2011 and I’m doing the same here today.

Movie recommendations aside, in what was yet another busy week around these parts, the five standouts include our Skyfall interviews with Daniel Craig, Javier Bardem, director Sam Mendes and more, a Beautiful Creatures set visit recap, the first trailer for Brad Pitt‘s World War Z, even more set visit goodness from Arnold Schwarzenegger‘s The Last Stand, and ongoing development news for the next Star Wars trilogy. Keep reading for brief recaps and links to all of the above.

For weeks, we’ve known that Skyfall was going to be huge. After the 23^rd film in the James Bond franchise rocketed through its initial international engagements two weeks ago, a giant US opening was all but guaranteed. Even so, Skyfall is now on track to be even more of a giant than we suspected. On Friday, Skyfall earned an estimated $30.8 million from its 3,503 locations, midnight screenings included. Add that to the $2.2 million 007 took in from his 463 IMAX premieres on Thursday and it looks like the secret agent could soar as high as $84 million by the end of the weekend. That would blow the previous Bond record of $67.8 million (set in 2008 by Quantum of Solace) out of the air. In fact, it’s possible that Skyfall could climb as high as $500 million worldwide by Monday. Given that Daniel Craig’s first two turns as 007 took weeks to reach that same mark, the achievement would be especially impressive. Big as it was, Skyfall wasn’t the only film making news at the box office. With its platform release in just eleven locations, Steven Spielberg’s critically-lauded Lincoln earned an estimated $268,000 on Friday, or an average of $24,376 per theatre.  We’ll have full details on this weekend’s box office tomorrow.

The James Bond film franchise has stood for 50 years.  It has lived, died, returned, died some more, returned again, and as the longest-running blockbuster franchise in history, it constantly walks the line between life and death regarding the series’ potency.  There likely will always be another James Bond film, but the character’s relevancy is always in question.  Can the modern audience accept Bond in a world where a grittier spy like Jason Bourne seemingly has more power to engage audiences?  Isn’t James Bond a relic that can’t convincingly survive in a post-9/11 world?  The latest Bond film, Skyfall, explores these question is a fascinating, compelling manner and does so within one of the series’ most exhilarating, perfectly crafted, and absolutely captivating entries to date.

Bond is back with a bang in Skyfall, a smart, sexy, exciting action thriller that’s one of the best 007 films ever, ranking right up there with From Russia with Love, Goldfinger, and On Her Majesty’s Secret Service. It’s certainly the best of the Daniel Craig Bond films with its thrilling chase and fight sequences and the visceral way it reveals the vulnerable man behind the myth who relies on primal instincts and physical prowess to combat 21^st century techno-terrorism.

At the Los Angeles press day for the film, Daniel Craig, director Sam Mendes, and producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson discussed how Skyfall presented an opportunity to continue to regenerate the franchise and introduce new characters, how they wrote the role of the Bond villain specifically for Javier Bardem, why Mendes was drawn to directing the film, what inspired his decision to cast Bérénice Marlohe, how DP Roger Deakins contributed to the extraordinary look of the movie, and why after five decades Bond is still such a potent franchise. Craig also talked about what he’s learned from doing an action movie and working with Dame Judi Dench whom he considers an extraordinary woman and actress.  Hit the jump for what they had to say.

At the recent New York press day for Skyfall, I was able to speak with Daniel Craig.  We talked about how this is a very grounded and realistic Bond film without the crazy gadgets, what it was like to work with Roger Deakins, was he more nervous to do Bond at the Olympics or host Saturday Night Live, what was the first thing he ate after they wrapped, how proud he is of Skyfall, and more.  In addition, I asked him if there was any update on the sequel to The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (The Girl Who Played With Fire).

Let me be very clear: I absolutely loved Skyfall.  Director Sam Mendes has crafted one of the best James Bond movies ever made and it’s also one of my favorite films of the year.  While the Bond franchise is now 50 years old, Mendes has shown the best might be yet to come.  I really can’t recommend this film enough.  For all our Skyfall coverage including clips, posters, my set visit and more, click here.  Skyfall stars Daniel Craig, Judi Dench, Javier Bardem, Helen McCrory, Ralph Fiennes, Ben Whishaw, Berenice Marlohe, and Naomie Harris.  Hit the jump to watch the interview.

Sam Mendes’ James Bond flick, Skyfall, the 23rd installment in the famed franchise, opened strongly in the U.K. with $32 million, but has continued that trend to set a one-week box office record.  Pulling in $60 million, Skyfall beats out previous seven-day record holder, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, which nabbed $57 million in 2011.  Internationally, Skyfall claimed $83 million (up from its initial estimate of $77 million) on its opening day and has since crossed the $100 million mark.  This achievement is especially remarkable considering there’s no ticket price uptick for 3D.  Hit the jump to see what other records Skfyfall has set, and what the positive buzz means for its domestic opening on November 9th.

After Skyfall opens next week, everyone is going to want more James Bond and want it quickly.  Several days ago, we reported that producers had hired Skyfall screenwriter John Logan to write not one, but a Bond duology, and he had set to work for scripts for both movies.  It would be a rare occurrence where the Bond films were linked as one big story rather than a loose connection like S.P.E.C.T.R.E. or Casino Royale to Quantum of Solace.  However, star Daniel Craig, who is contracted for Bond 24 and 25, has denied rumors of linked Bond sequels.

Hit the jump for more.

George Clooney has lined up an incredible cast for his next film, Monuments Men.  As we previously reported, the story centers on a group of art experts selected by the U.S. Government to chase down the stolen art of Europe during World War II.  Aside from the terrific premise, Clooney, who co-wrote the film with partner Grant Heslov, will star alongside a cast that includes Daniel Craig, Jean Dujardin, Bill Murray, and Cate Blanchett.  Dujardin, Murray, and Blanchett had previously been mentioned in connection with the film, and Craig is a strong addition along with other new cast members John Goodman, Bob Balaban, and Downton Abbey‘s Hugh Bonneville.

Hit the jump for more.

My increasing enthusiasm for the release of Sam Mendes’ James Bond film Skyfall over the past few weeks hasn’t exactly been a secret, and I appear to be in some good company.  Though the pic doesn’t open stateside until next Friday, Skyfall made one hell of a splash with its international debut this past weekend.  The film dominated the foreign box office, raking in a whopping $77.7 million in total.  $32.4 million of that came from from its U.K. debut, where it broke a couple of records.  Hit the jump for more.

Yet another clip from director Sam Mendes’ James Bond film Skyfall has been released, and this time the focus is on the Daniel Crag-era’s new Q.  Ben Whishaw steps into the gadgets expert role previously played by Peter Burton, Desmond Llewelyn, and John Cleese, bringing a wholly fresh take on the staple character.  It’s been a decade since we’ve seen Q portrayed onscreen (2002’s Die Another Day), and I’m eager to see whether he fits into the larger plot of Skyfall or if he’ll be resigned to a couple of self-contained scenes.

Hit the jump to watch the clip, and click here to watch four more clips.  The film also stars Judi Dench, Javier Bardem, Naomie Harris, Berenice Marlohe, Helen McCrory, and Ralph Fiennes.  Skyfall opens internationally on October 26th, in US IMAX theaters on November 8th, and in US conventional theaters on November 9th.