After numerous delays, the 25th James Bond movie No Time to Die is finally poised to close the book on Daniel Craig’s time as the iconic character this October. That means Bond 26 will be another reboot for the franchise, introducing a brand new James Bond to the world, and who better to take the helm than the man responsible for successfully rebooting Bond the last two times?
Filmmaker Martin Campbell was selected to direct 1995’s Goldeneye, which not only rebooted the franchise with Pierce Brosnan but also wrestled with where a character like James Bond fits into a post-Cold War world. Campbell introduced a number of new elements to the franchise with that film, including a female M played by Judi Dench, and Goldeneye stands as one of the best Bond movies ever made.
But when Brosnan’s time as Bond came to a close in the early 2000s, EON producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson once again turned to Campbell to reboot the franchise with 2006’s Casino Royale. The first film in the Craig era addressed where Bond fit into the 21st century, bringing a more gritty and emotional hook to the suave spy series. Casino Royale was wildly different from Goldeneye, but similarly succeeded in introducing a new Bond for a new era and standing as one of the franchise's best installments.
So with the franchise once again up for a reboot, would Campbell consider coming back and making it a hat trick? That’s the question we posed recently when speaking with the filmmaker on The Collider Podcast about his excellent new thriller The Protégé, and Campbell said he’d be happy to consider directing Bond 26:
“Oh yeah, I would certainly consider it. I enjoy doing Bond. And also, the two producers are great to work with. You’re pretty much given a free hand to – everybody obviously participates in the script, and Casino I had Paul Haggis who did a terrific job with the script. He did the final draft. But the two producers are great to work with, and they don’t interfere at all if they think you’re on the right track, and everything else they just let you get on with it. They support you all the way. It’s an enjoyable experience.”
With No Time to Die still on the horizon the Bond producers haven’t yet gone public with their plans for Bond 26, but it would be kind of fun to see Campbell return and usher in yet another new era of Bond. He’s already done it twice now, with two very different takes on the character and franchise, and The Protégé proves the guy’s still got it.
Listen to full-length conversation on The Collider Podcast. The Protégé opens in theaters on August 20th.