Nicolas Winding Refn and Daniel Craig? That director-actor duo could have been a reality if things had gone differently. Refn defines the word auteur and he fits rights into the world of indie films rather than the blitzing big Hollywood tentpoles. He burst into the scene with the cult-classic Drive (2011) and then went on to make movies like Only God Forgives (2013) and The Neon Demon (2016).
But as is often the case with any director who bursts into the scene with a new and novel film, Refn was also offered big films. One of them was Daniel Craig’s $880 million grossing James Bond film, Spectre. However, the bigshot director refused it because he knew Bond wasn’t for him.
Why Did Nicolas Winding Refn Refuse To Direct Daniel Craig’s Spectre?
In an interview with The Telegraph, Nicolas Winding Refn revealed he was in talks with the makers of James Bond films, Eon Productions, for Daniel Craig’s Spectre. But over the course of several meetings, the director realized that he wasn’t made to helm a property like James Bond, and it would be better for him to do his own thing. He said:
“I just know this way I can do whatever I want, and that outweighs any money anyone can give me.”
However, back in 2016, he was still involved with the spy world because he was working with James Bond writers Neal Purvis and Robert Wade on a spy-thriller titled The Avenging Silence. The synopsis read:
“A former European spy, accepts a confidential mission from a Japanese businessman exiled to France to take down the head of the most treacherous Yakuza boss in Japan.”
However, that movie didn’t see the light of day. Over the years, the Danish director’s popularity has decreased even though he made films with top stars like Tom Hardy in Bronson (2008). So how does he sustain himself if he doesn’t take up tentpole directing jobs? Back then, Refn had explained that it was all thanks to directing commercials for companies like Gucci, H&M, and more.
Who Is Next For James Bond?
After Nicolas Winding Refn left the James Bond project, Sam Mendes was brought in to direct Spectre (2015). But it has been years since then and the next Bond film, No Time to Die (2021), by Cary Fukunaga, saw Daniel Craig depart the popular spy franchise. Since then there have been intense speculations about who could take up the mantle of the most famous spy in the world.
Names like Henry Cavill, Idris Elba, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Tom Hardy, and more have been thrown around. But there has been no official information from producers like Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli about the next James Bond.
When Broccoli was presented with a BFI Fellowship in 2022, she was asked about the next Bond film and she said:
“We’re working out where to go with him, we’re talking that through. There isn’t a script and we can’t come up with one until we decide how we’re going to approach the next film because, really, it’s a reinvention of Bond. We’re reinventing who he is and that takes time. I’d say that filming is at least two years away.”
As such, it looks like the official announcement is still a year and a half off at least. It remains to be seen who gets chosen because carrying on the legacy of James Bond as well as the mantle of Daniel Craig will be tough to match.
Spectre is available on Amazon Prime Video.
Source: The Telegraph
