‘Skyfall’ Director Sam Mendes Says James Bond Studio Prefers Filmmakers ‘Who Are More Controllable’: ‘I Would Doubt’ I’d Return

Sam Mendes directed two James Bond movies, “Skyfall” (2012) and “Spectre” (2015), and he doubts he’ll return to the 007 franchise to helm a third entry. Speaking to Inverse to promote his new HBO series “The Franchise,” Mendes said the studio often needs a director who is younger and thus more “controllable.” That’s no longer him.

“Never say never, to quote the man, but I would doubt it,” Mendes said about directing a third “Bond” movie. “It was very good for me at that moment in my life. I felt like it shot me out of some old habits. It made me think on a bigger scale. It made me use different parts of my brain. You have to have a lot of energy.”

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“They want slightly more malleable people who are earlier in their career, who perhaps are going to use it as a stepping stone, and who are more controllable by the studio,” he added about the next Bond director.

Mendes’ “Skyfall” remains one of the most acclaimed Bond movies. The movie grossed $1.1 billion at the worldwide box office to become the highest-grossing 007 film of all time. It also picked up five Oscar nominations and won for best original song. His follow-up Bond movie, “Spectre,” was more critically divisive but again won the Oscar for best original song. “Spectre” earned $880 million worldwide.

Since Mendes’ exit from the Bond franchise, there has only been one more 007 movie: 2021’s “No Time to Die.” That film marked the end of Daniel Craig’s tenure as Bond. Now the search is on for a new actor to play 007 and a new director to take over the franchise. No filmmaker has been officially announced yet.