Despite Christopher Nolan successfully rebooting the Batman franchise with Batman Begins, it seems that the previous producers of James Bond were not comfortable giving him control over the iconic franchise. Nolan has made no secret over the years how much James Bond films affected him as a young filmgoer. Many of Nolan’s films, from The Dark Knight to Inception to Tenet, are heavily inspired by the Bond films and feel like the director’s unique spin on the 007 franchise. Nolan had previously mentioned that he had always wanted to make a Bond film, but it never seemed to work out, and now we know why.
According to Variety, Christopher Nolan was interested in directing a Bond movie as his follow-up to Tenet, which would have been the 007 entry that followed Daniel Craig’s tenure as James Bond in No Time to Die. However, long-time franchise producer Barbara Broccoli told Nolan that he would not have the final cut on the film, something no Bond director has ever had. Nolan is famous for his auteur sensibilities and having a final cut on his movies, ultimately deciding to pursue Oppenheimer instead, the film that won him his first Best Director Oscar and also won Best Picture at the 96th Academy Awards.
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With Amazon MGM Studios acquiring complete ownership of the ‘James Bond’ franchise, things could either take a bleak or bright turn.
Nolan is not the first major auteur director the Broccoli family had turned down to direct James Bond. Steven Spielberg was turned down by Barbra Broccoli’s father, Cubby Broccoli, to direct a James Bond movie three times. The first was early in Spielberg’s career, as Broccoli thought he was inexperienced. Yet even after both Jaws and Close Encounters of the Third Kind became massive box-office hits, Spielberg was turned down once again, as after Close Encounters of the Third Kind, he was considered too expensive. This forced Spielberg to team up with George Lucas to create his own James Bond-like franchise, Indiana Jones. Quentin Tarantino also lobbied to get Casino Royale made in the early 2000s, but he was turned down, and the Bond franchise opted to use Casino Royale as a reboot.
‘James Bond’ is a Very Controlled Franchise
While the idea of Barbara Broccoli turning Nolan down to direct a new 007 movie and reboot the franchise is disappointing, it isn’t entirely shocking. For most of the James Bond franchise, they have focused more on journeymen directors, particularly those associated with British productions. The Daniel Craig era saw them take more chances with filmmakers like Sam Mendes, Cary Joji Fukunaga, and, at one point, Danny Boyle, who dropped out due to creative differences. Eon has always been somewhat protective and controlling of the James Bond franchise. Many of the criticisms people have regarding the Marvel Cinematic Universe and how it treats filmmakers could easily be leveled at the James Bond films. Sam Mendes, director of Skyfall and Spectre, previously mentioned how they wanted directors “who are more controllable by the studio.”
The idea of Nolan directing a James Bond film now seems impossible, with Amazon MGM gaining full control of the film development. Amazon will likely exercise firm creative control of 007, possibly even more than ever before the franchise’s history, as this is a brand they want to extend into other avenues. Even though Nolan more than proved himself a rather popular populist filmmaker and successfully rebooted one series, producers still seem afraid to hand over control of a franchise. Nolan certainly doesn’t need James Bond, as his upcoming adaptation of The Odyssey is already one of the most anticipated films of 2026. Meanwhile, the future of Bond seemingly has everyone more nervous than excited.
Source: Variety
James Bond
Summary
James Bond, code name 007, is a fictional character created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short story collections. There have been six other authors who wrote authorised Bond novels or novelizations after Fleming’s death in 1964: Kingsley Amis, Christopher Wood, John Gardner, Raymond Benson, Sebastian Faulks and Jeffery Deaver; a new novel, written by William Boyd, is planned for release in 2013. Additionally, Charlie Higson wrote a series on a young James Bond and Kate Westbrook wrote three novels based on the diaries of a recurring series character, Moneypenny.
The fictional British Secret Service agent has also been adapted for television, radio, comic strip and video game formats as well as being used in the longest running and the second-highest grossing film franchise to date, which started in 1962 with Dr. No, starring Sean Connery as Bond. As of 2012, there have been twenty two films in the Eon Productions series, with a twenty third, Skyfall, due for release on 26 October 2012. The film will star Daniel Craig in his third portrayal of Bond: he is the sixth actor to play Bond in the Eon series. There have also been two independent productions of Bond films, Casino Royale, a 1967 spoof, and Never Say Never Again, a 1983 remake of an earlier Eon-produced film, Thunderball.
The films are renowned for a number of features, including the musical accompaniment, with the theme songs to the films having picked up Academy Award nominations on several occasions. Other important elements which run through most of the films include Bond’s cars, his guns and the gadgets he is supplied with by Q Branch.
