‘James Bond’ bosses have announced the replacement director for the upcoming 25th film in the franchise, and it’s a rather left-field choice.
Danny Boyle had initially been attached to the project, but a statement signed by producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli, as well as actor Daniel Craig, announced last month that he was stepping down due to “creative differences”.
His replacement has now been revealed in the form of Cary Joji Fukunaga.
The producers said in a statement on Thursday: “We are delighted to be working with Cary. His versatility and innovation make him an excellent choice for our next James Bond adventure.”
They also announced that filming for the project, which will mark Daniel Craig’s final outing as 007, will begin filming at Pinewood Studios in March 2019.
Japanese-American director Cary is probably best known for his work on the small screen, previously helming the first series of ‘True Detective’, on which he remains an executive producer, as well as Netflix’s ambitious new project, ‘Maniac’, which debuts on the streaming service on Friday.
Among his past feature-length offerings include the 2011 adaptation of ‘Jane Eyre’ and the Netflix film ‘Beasts Of No Nation’, which coincidentally starred Idris Elba.
Idris has repeatedly been reported as a potential successor to Daniel Craig, ever since the Sony emails leak of 2014, in which he was named explicitly as a possible candidate for the job.
Prior to the appointment of Danny Boyle, David Mackenzie, Denis Villeneuve and Yann Demange were reportedly being considered for the job, while Christopher Nolan also downplayed rumours that he was in talks for the gig.