Sam Mendes Still Undecided on Bond 24

Though it was recently reported that Sam Mendes had agreed to two more Bond films, the directeor revealed to Hey U Guys that he still has not made a final decision about helming the 24th installment, Solo.

After famously declaring that he was done with the franchise following the release of Skyfall, news in recent months have revolved around producers Barbara Broccolli and Michael Wilson’s intense negotiations with the acclaimed director.  Names like Christopher Nolan and Nicolas Winding Refn have been floated as potential alternatives, but Mendes is being chased like no other director has been.

It is not difficult to see why; under Mendes, Skyfall became the first Bond film to pass the $1 billion mark in the global box office.  Additionally, the film picked up nominations at this year’s Academy Awards.  If Mendes returns, he will be the first director since John Glen, who did all five Bond flicks in the 1980s, to direct 007 movies back-to-back.  Mendes is also in a unique position (with the possible exception of Lewis Gilbert, who directed the original Alfie) of being a filmmaker who is  best known for his work outside of the Bond franchise (as the director of movies like American Beauty, Road to Perdition, and Jarhead).  In other words, for perhaps the first time in Bond history, the name in the credits was as much of a draw as the franchise itself.

Mendes is currently preparing for the premiere of his stage adaptation of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.  As it now stands, he said a decision will not be made until after the opening of the show.