One of Hollywood – and the UK’s – most prestigious filmmakers could be about to direct a 007 film.
Sir Steve McQueen enjoyed Oscar-winning success with 12 Years A Slave in 2013 and is currently promoting his impactful new World War Two film Blitz, starring Saoirse Ronan (herself open to Bond), Paul Weller and Stephen Graham.
However, insiders have now claimed that Eon Productions is keen for him to take the reins on an instalment of their James Bond franchise.
While there’s been much speculation over who could play the spy – inheriting their licence to kill from Daniel Craig, who finished his run as 007 in 2021 – there has been less public speculation over who may direct it.
A source told The Sun’s Bizarre column: ‘Steve is one of the UK’s best filmmakers and has an incredible vision.
‘The word is that the Bond producers wanted to see if Steve would ever consider having a hand in one of the films and they got a positive response.’
They added that it ‘would be incredible if it came off’.
The award-winning director’s reps declined to provide comment on the reports to the publication – but it’s extremely unlikely anything would ever be confirmed ahead of official word from long-time producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson.
Sir Steve has also received acclaim for his previous films Hunger and Shame, both of which he collaborated with Michael Fassbender on, as well as his TV anthology Small Axe, which told stories based on the real-life experiences of London’s West Indian community between 1969 and 1982.
Little is known about the future of the spy franchise Aaron Taylor-Johnson has been heavily rumoured to be stepping into his shoes for months now.
His The Fall Guy director David Leitch subsequently praised the rumoured casting and spoke of his hopes that ‘maybe we’ll get that opportunity soon’ to make a 007 flick together.
However, rumours persist that we have a long wait in store for the next Bond movie now the deadline for Broccoli’s estimated shooting schedule has passed.
She initially suggested just months after No Time to Die’s release that fans should be patient with the next film as they had plans to ‘reinvent’ the character.
She told Deadline in June 2022: ‘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.’
We are now two and a half years later, with no indication that any announcements about writer, director or casting – let alone cameras rolling – are imminent.
On top of this, Broccoli also has commitments to Sing Street, a new stage musical coming to the London stage in summer 2025 in what is a co-production between her and the Lyric Hammersmith.
‘The best-case scenario is a new Bond film in cinemas by the end of 2026 – which is five years after No Time To Die – and that’s if things get shaken up soon,’ one film insider told The Mirror.
Another source indicated to the publication that there were rumours of script problems and delays.
This timeline echoes what was predicted before, with a senior talent rep suggesting – possibly more realistically, given the length of the post-production and editing process as well – to The Telegraph in August: ‘Late 2026, at the earliest. Maybe 2027. Perhaps even 2028.’
But expert Professor James Chapman of the University of Leicester urged fans not to worry ‘unduly’ if that is the case.
Previously, the gap between Timothy Dalton’s final Bond film Licence to Kill in 1989 and Pierce Brosnan’s debut in 1995’s GoldenEye was six years, four months and 14 days.
And between Brosnan leaving after 2002’s Die Another Day and Craig’s first film Casino Royale in 2006, it was almost four years to the day.
Current rumoured contenders for the role of Bond alongside Taylor-Johnson include Callum Turner, Netflix breakout star Aaron Pierre and Theo James.
Metro has contacted reps for Sir Steve and Eon Productions for comment.