We already knew Daniel Craig would be returning for a 5th time as infamous spy James Bond, but it's now been revealed that Oscar award winning Danny Boyle will be directing the next film, set to be the 25th in the franchise.
According to Deadline, the project is being dubbed 'Bond 25' for now and will be written by John Hodge, who's previously worked with Boyle on 'Trainspotting'. Boyle only agreed to do the film if the studio went ahead with Hodge's idea. In other big news, following the release of 'Spectre', the agreement that Sony Pictures had with the franchise has expired, meaning many studios were keen to get a deal. Universal won the rights and will be in charge of distributing the film internationally.
Eon Productions and MGM's plans for 'Bond 25' mean that Universal will distribute this film internationally. Universal will also be in charge of US distribution of any future 007 films. In the States, distribution of 'Bond 25' will be overseen by MGM and Annapurna, after the two companies merged last year. The 25th James Bond film will release in the UK on 25th October 2019, and production is set to start on 3rd December of this year.
A historical achievement
The recent deal means that one of cinema's most successful spy franchises will be returning home after having received offers from Warner Bros. and Paramount Pictures. The last James Bond film to release under Universal was 'Die Another Day', 16 years ago!
Universal celebrated with the following comment:
"Universal is extremely proud to collaborate with Michael, Barbara and MGM on the international marketing and distribution of Bond 25. The unparalleled combination of Danny's innovative filmmaking and Daniel's embodiment of 007 ensured we simply had to be partners in the next chapter of this iconic series".
