612 replies to this topic

[Professor Pi]

Back on topic (Directors)....

 

I know Iron Man 3 didn't go down particularly well with the comic/Marvel fanboys, but watching it on tv right now, his direction is better than solid, he gets great performances - Downey riffs off him superbly and Kingsley gives his best since Sexy Beast (before, but especially after Iron Man 3's big reveal). He directs a satisfying action packed finale (the best of the Iron Man movies, i think).

 

It's not all about things blowing up (of which there's plenty), but what makes his finale way better is that the script has set up plenty of stuff, secrets and tensions that he can pay-off amid the mayhem; there's dramatic progression there, rather than just pyrotechnics and CGI. That's perfect for a great Bond movie many of which succeed or fail by the quality of the final villain v. Bond confrontation (the good ones have high stakes and character driven action, with plenty of wit (that's wit, not comedy). The poor ones involve lots of henchmen, shooting and explosions, but very little character driven resolutions.

 

To be fair to Bond, they invented this balancing act between action and dialogue (well, actually i think Hitchcock did with North By Northwest and Bond made it his own). But i think Black proves adept at this balancing act (he already had with his Lethal Weapon and Last Boy Scout scripts, but for me he's now proven he can shoot his fantastic scripts as well as anyone, if not better (naturally, i think it'd be crazy to snag one of the best action writers of all time and not have him write B25, as well as shoot it)

 

And of course his sharp, witty and very clever non-expositional dialogue is second to none (including Tarantino, but with the exception of Woody Allen in the 80s)

 

With Nolan busy Dunkirk and Eon Refn unlikely to risk it with Refn (not that he's ever really been mentioned anywhere apart from my posts here), Shane Black is fast becoming my favourite for B25. But his availability with Predator would be the potential issue.

 

This.

 

Also, composer Brian Tyler could make a pretty killer Bond score.

[Odd Jobbies]

 

Back on topic (Directors)....

 

I know Iron Man 3 didn't go down particularly well with the comic/Marvel fanboys, but watching it on tv right now, his direction is better than solid, he gets great performances - Downey riffs off him superbly and Kingsley gives his best since Sexy Beast (before, but especially after Iron Man 3's big reveal). He directs a satisfying action packed finale (the best of the Iron Man movies, i think).

 

It's not all about things blowing up (of which there's plenty), but what makes his finale way better is that the script has set up plenty of stuff, secrets and tensions that he can pay-off amid the mayhem; there's dramatic progression there, rather than just pyrotechnics and CGI. That's perfect for a great Bond movie many of which succeed or fail by the quality of the final villain v. Bond confrontation (the good ones have high stakes and character driven action, with plenty of wit (that's wit, not comedy). The poor ones involve lots of henchmen, shooting and explosions, but very little character driven resolutions.

 

To be fair to Bond, they invented this balancing act between action and dialogue (well, actually i think Hitchcock did with North By Northwest and Bond made it his own). But i think Black proves adept at this balancing act (he already had with his Lethal Weapon and Last Boy Scout scripts, but for me he's now proven he can shoot his fantastic scripts as well as anyone, if not better (naturally, i think it'd be crazy to snag one of the best action writers of all time and not have him write B25, as well as shoot it)

 

And of course his sharp, witty and very clever non-expositional dialogue is second to none (including Tarantino, but with the exception of Woody Allen in the 80s)

 

With Nolan busy Dunkirk and Eon Refn unlikely to risk it with Refn (not that he's ever really been mentioned anywhere apart from my posts here), Shane Black is fast becoming my favourite for B25. But his availability with Predator would be the potential issue.

 

This.

 

Also, composer Brian Tyler could make a pretty killer Bond score.

 

His track for the retro 80s comic book-graphics end credits for Iron Man 3 was outstanding. Along with it's perfect editing it has me almost whooping with joy every time.

[Orion]

ah yes, "Can You Dig It" does have a good celebratory feel to it (apt considering it may have been RDJ's last appearance as Tony Stark)
More directly Bond though, the track "The Mechanic" has an intentionally Bondian sound, mostly because Shane Black agreed with Jon Favreau that the Iron Man films (and Tony Stark in other Marvel films) should have a very Mooreque Bond quality to them hence the hundreds of Bond references across all 3 (my favourite being the removing of his armour to reveal a tux at the beginning of the second one)
 

[jonny69]

Only skimmed through the thread, but has anyone suggested Alex Garland?
Isaac's Nathan is nothing if not an ersatz Bond villain.
Justin Kurzel is someone worth considering, his Macbeth was stunning and he's dipping his toes in the globe trotting action scene with the in production adaptation of Assassins Creed. Might even bring Fassbender along for the ride too.
My personal choice is Villeneuve,the tension created in Sicario was peerless, maybe he could talk Benicio into taking a second 'honeymooooooooooooon!'
Sorry

[rubixcub]

Villeneuve has become a popular suggestion (and the suggestion of Del Toro returning as a main villain has been mentioned -- by me, at least.  Glad to see additional support for the idea!)

 

Hadn't thought of Garland, could be an inspired choice.  I haven't seen "Ex Machina" -- borrowed the DVD from my cousin but haven't watched it yet -- but from the reviews and the visual style, it sounds promising.

 

Dave

[S K Y F A L L]

ZACK SNYDER? Just came to me watching the new BvS trailer, what ya think?

[JohnnyWalker]

ZACK SNYDER? Just came to me watching the new BvS trailer, what ya think?

I think you should leave.

[S K Y F A L L]

How do you really feel

[dtuba]

ZACK SNYDER? Just came to me watching the new BvS trailer, what ya think?

No, no, no, no and HELL NO.

 

Watchman was ...okay, but Man of Steel was so bad it made my head and my stomach hurt.

Very much like when I saw DAD in the theater.

[Odd Jobbies]

Only skimmed through the thread, but has anyone suggested Alex Garland?
Isaac's Nathan is nothing if not an ersatz Bond villain.
Justin Kurzel is someone worth considering, his Macbeth was stunning and he's dipping his toes in the globe trotting action scene with the in production adaptation of Assassins Creed. Might even bring Fassbender along for the ride too.
My personal choice is Villeneuve,the tension created in Sicario was peerless, maybe he could talk Benicio into taking a second 'honeymooooooooooooon!'
Sorry

All very valid and interesting choices. 

 

Villeneuve has to be way out in front on most lists right now, after Sicario. If he could get Deakins back into the Bond fold after their amazing work together on Sicario that would be ideal (and i've long attested that it's time for Benicio to return).

 

However, i imagine Villeneuve will be busy on Blade Runner 2 for the foreseeable future. After that Nolan may be available with Dunkirk wrapped. Both, i believe, have stated their desire to do a Bond movie. So dependent upon how Blade Runner 2 turns out i'd take a punt that Bond 26 will be directed by one of these two directors.

 

But that doesn't help us with Bond 25, so Kurzel could be a possibility as could Garland if his next movie movie, Annihilation displays a talent for action on a bigger canvas.

[Odd Jobbies]

 

ZACK SNYDER? Just came to me watching the new BvS trailer, what ya think?

I think you should leave.

 

Lol, that's harsh, but to quote dtuba, "HELL NO!"

[SecretAgentFan]

Zack Snyder is a very capable director for comic book movies in which he hypes up everything to the max.

 

I hope no Bond film ever will be designed to need that style.

[tdalton]

Zack Snyder would be the absolute worst choice that EON could make, short of going over to Disney.  They would probably get the desired box office out of it, but it would completely destroy the Bond franchise in the process.

[Harmsway]

With BLADE RUNNER 2 getting a January 2018 release, I'd say Villeneuve is out of the running for the next Bond film.

[SecretAgentFan]

Yes.

 

I also get the feeling that Mendes is still in the running should Craig return.  Enough time for him to do more theatre work.  And no movie directing gig lined up (so far).

 

Or they get Joe Wright out of movie jail (after PAN).

[Orion]

Pan's failure might play in Joe Wright's favour for the job, an acclaimed director who works well with actors (which would please Craig) but somewhat less weight in the industry following Pan which would sit well with EON's (generally) producer led approach - the latter I imagine will always be the biggest obstacle for hiring Matthew Vaughn or Chris Nolan both of whom are famously incredibly hands on with all aspects of the film.

[Dustin]

If Mendes really returned it would feel like punishment. Entirely possible though.

[Orion]

punishment seems an exaggeration, it's just a film.

[Harmsway]

Vaughn isn't an option. He doesn't get along with BB (by his own admission).

I don't want Mendes back.

[tdalton]

No to Mendes.  He didn't even seem to want to do Spectre, and that comes through on the screen.  We also don't need another film exploring Bond's childhood, which is almost certainly what he'd deliver in a follow-up.  Two in a row is more than enough of that.

[RMc2]

Please, no more Mendes. No to Vaughn, too. Definitely no to Guy Ritchie, which has been rumoured.

 

I'd love Nolan in theory, but suspect it would take a lot to persuade him to direct a film neither he nor his brother has written. With Dunkirk on the way, he might have moved onto an Oscar-chasing phase in his career, which might also rule out a Bond venture. Although we know he's spoken to them about it...

[SecretAgentFan]

Nolan might still want to do a Bond film - but not in the near future since he is busy with his own projects.

 

I hope EON will scale back on everything for BOND 25: working on a smaller budget, employing a director with no award caché, everybody just focusing on making a great Bond film instead of following personal obsessions.

[Bucky]

Pan's failure might play in Joe Wright's favour for the job, an acclaimed director who works well with actors (which would please Craig) but somewhat less weight in the industry following Pan which would sit well with EON's (generally) producer led approach - the latter I imagine will always be the biggest obstacle for hiring Matthew Vaughn or Chris Nolan both of whom are famously incredibly hands on with all aspects of the film.

 

One can hope. I have wanted him to helm a Bond film for a while.

[JohnnyWalker]

 

Pan's failure might play in Joe Wright's favour for the job, an acclaimed director who works well with actors (which would please Craig) but somewhat less weight in the industry following Pan which would sit well with EON's (generally) producer led approach - the latter I imagine will always be the biggest obstacle for hiring Matthew Vaughn or Chris Nolan both of whom are famously incredibly hands on with all aspects of the film.

 

One can hope. I have wanted him to helm a Bond film for a while.

 

His style so far is a bit soft, I'd be surprised if he's got the edge needed for a Bond film.

[Orion]

Not heard that about Vaughn not getting on with BB (be curious to read where he said that) but I wouldn't be surprised, both are famously very hands on producers so I imagine they'd butt heads quickly. Nolan on the other hand is married to a hands-on producer so wouldn't clash quite as often, but as has been mentioned his schedule makes him HIGHLY unlikely even if EON where comfortable with the amount of control he'd probably want.

Anyone suggested Justin Kurzel yet? - He did Macbeth and is currently working on Assassin's Creed (both with Michael Fassbender) he's a very visual director and seems to have no problems with large scale films.

[Harmsway]

 

 

Pan's failure might play in Joe Wright's favour for the job, an acclaimed director who works well with actors (which would please Craig) but somewhat less weight in the industry following Pan which would sit well with EON's (generally) producer led approach - the latter I imagine will always be the biggest obstacle for hiring Matthew Vaughn or Chris Nolan both of whom are famously incredibly hands on with all aspects of the film.

 

One can hope. I have wanted him to helm a Bond film for a while.

 

His style so far is a bit soft, I'd be surprised if he's got the edge needed for a Bond film.

 

I don't think EON really looks for "edge" when courting directors.

[SecretAgentFan]

Also: what does this mean: his style is "a bit soft"?

[JohnnyWalker]

Also: what does this mean: his style is "a bit soft"?

If I could think of a better way to put it I would.

[Orion]

I get what you mean, his films thus far have been like BBC costume dramas or the sort of films Judi Dench does outside of Bond. Pretty to look at, heavy on dialogue, but a bit sleight.

[SecretAgentFan]

I get what you mean, his films thus far have been like BBC costume dramas or the sort of films Judi Dench does outside of Bond. Pretty to look at, heavy on dialogue, but a bit sleight.

 

 

Excuse me - but you´re very wrong.  

 

"Pride and Prejudice", while an Austen adaptation, was nothing "like a BBC costume drama or the sort of films Judi Dench does".  Like his stellar "Atonement" it features extremely well directed actors and breathtaking fluid camerwork, often in uninterrupted takes that are much more complex than the Mexico sequence in SPECTRE.  Also, Wright can do action ("Hanna") very well.  

 

"Heavy on dialogue, but a bit sleight"?  Not at all.  Just the opposite.