Sam Mendes has never done a sequel, but he had never done an action movie before Skyfall, and that turned out pretty well.  Today, the Daily Mail is reporting that Mendes is "'75 per cent' of the way towards" returning for James Bond 24.  In November, we reported that Mendes has reportedly dreamed up a new scenario with Skyfall screenwriter John Logan, so the director was already looking ahead even though he hadn't officially signed on.  However, in his interview with Steve, Mendes said he already did everything he wanted to do with a Bond movie in Skyfall.

Hit the jump for more on Mendes' hesitation, if the next Bond will be a two-parter, and when we can expect to see 007's next adventure.

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You may recall that in October, we reported that Logan was returning to write James 24 and 25 with a storyline that would possibly span both movies.  But five days later, Daniel Craig shot down the rumor of linked sequels saying, "You can’t write one movie thinking about the next. All we’re trying to do is get the next one sorted out and it’ll stand on its own and if I’m able I’ll do another one after that."  According to Daily Mail, a two-part sequel was on the table at one point, but Mendes wanted no part of it because the back-to-back filming would have consumed four years of the director's time.  Keep in mind that Mendes directs theater as well as movies.

Now Bond 24 and 25 will be standalone pictures, and "Logan’s thoughts for Bond 24 are in the form of two treatment papers outlining a rough idea of the plot."  Mendes wants to see the finished script before he signs back on.

However, if he signs back on, it's unlikely he'll meet the previously reported fall 2014 release date for Bond 24.  Mendes is currently at work on a stage adaptation of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and then he'll be directing Simon Russell Beale in King Lear at the National Theatre next January.  If the earliest Mendes can start full-time is January 2014, then getting Bond 24 into theaters by November will be an incredibly tight schedule (I'm assuming it's November since the last four Bond movies have opened in that month).  With the way Mendes handled Skyfall, I'd personally be able to wait until fall 2015 if it meant getting a better Bond film.

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