Danny Boyle reveals plans for his scrapped James Bond movie

News
By published

The director also has his say on who should be the next 007

Daniel Craig in new James Bond movie No Time to Die
(Image credit: MGM)

No Time to Die director Cary Fukunaga brought Daniel Craig’s tenure as 007 to a close last year. It was Danny Boyle, however, who was originally set to helm Craig’s swan song.

In a new interview with Esquire, Boyle – who departed the project in 2019 – has revealed a rough outline on what his James Bond movie would have entailed.

"I remember thinking, ‘Should I really get involved in franchises?’ Because they don’t really want something different. They want you to freshen it up a bit, but not really challenge it, and we wanted to do something different with it," Boyle said.

On the plot itself, Boyle revealed, "It would have been very topical now – it was all set in Russia, which is of course where Bond came from, out of the Cold War. It was set in present-day Russia and went back to his origins, and they… just lost confidence in it."

Despite the creative split, Boyle – like the rest of us – still has his picks for who should play the next James Bond. In his sights? I May Destroy You’s Paapa Essiedu or The Batman’s Robert Pattinson, who Boyle says would "be a great Bond."

No word yet on who will be next to step into the tuxedo of the world’s most famous secret agent. Producer Barbara Broccoli previously told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme in 2021 that the search for the next Bond will get underway "next year."

While we wait with bated breath on who will leave us shaken and stirred – check out our ranking of the best James Bond movies.

Bradley Russell
Bradley Russell
Senior Entertainment Writer

I'm the Senior Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, focusing on news, features, and interviews with some of the biggest names in film and TV. On-site, you'll find me marveling at Marvel and providing analysis and room temperature takes on the newest films, Star Wars and, of course, anime. Outside of GR, I love getting lost in a good 100-hour JRPG, Warzone, and kicking back on the (virtual) field with Football Manager. My work has also been featured in OPM, FourFourTwo, and Game Revolution.