No sooner had the news broken on Tuesday that director Danny Boyle would be exiting the project known as “James Bond 25,” than speculation began as to who should step in as the new 007 helmer. This fresh wave of speculation adds fire to the always simmering debate of who should take over for the man himself.
While many critics and fans have wildly varying visions when it comes to who should become the new captain of the Bond franchise, almost everyone agrees it is time for a change. While there is something timeless about the well-manicured spy who is never short of a perfect line, there is something stilted about James Bond as he exists in the public imagination today. What, in the early Bond films was considered “debonair,” can feel creepy and even abusive in hindsight. When viewed through a lens of modern expectations of diversity, James Bond is blindingly white. In short, James Bond’s tuxedo feels a little stuffy.
It is time for a change, and here are some directors we believe could usher the classy “shaken, not stirred” action of Bond into a new era, with an inventive take on an well-worn classic.