The 'Skyfall' and 'Spectre' director says, 'It's time for somebody else to do a great job' for the next James Bond installment.
- May 30, 2016
AceShowbiz - Sam Mendes is leaving James Bond franchise. The director who helmed the last two 007 films, "Skyfall" and "Spectre", reveals at the Hay Festival that he is ready to pass the torch to a new filmmaker for the upcoming "Bond 25".
"It's not a negative," he says of his decision. "I'm a storyteller and at the end of the day I want to make stories with new characters. I also believe there are directors out there who can do the job every bit as well as me. And like me with Skyfall, it should come from a slightly unexpected direction."
"It was an incredible adventure, I loved every second of it," he adds as quoted by The Telegraph. "It was a privilege, all the experiences were gobsmacking for me, but I think it's time for somebody else to do a great job. And I will be first in line."
Mendes also weighs in on the online chatters regarding the possible new James Bond. "There's this constant debate about who's going to be the next Bond," he comments. "The truth is - and here's the headline: it's not a democracy. It's not the X Factor, it's not the EU referendum, it's not a public vote."
"Barbara Broccoli chooses who's going to be the next Bond: end of story," he continues. "Without that, there would be no Daniel Craig because public support for Daniel was zero. It was her saying 'that man over there is going to change the whole thing, I'm going to cast him'."
Whoever Broccoli will choose, the director "can guarantee" that "it will not be what you expect." He continues gushing about the producer, "That's what she's been brilliant at, and that's how it'll survive." He stresses, "It's not a public vote, and I think we're in an age where everything is deemed voteable on. Some things just aren't and it's better that way."
