Out of Daniel Craig's five James Bond films, two were directed by Sam Mendes, including the two that brought in the highest box office earnings in the history of one of cinema's oldest franchises. However, Oscar-winning American Beauty director Mendes isn't too keen on making a third Bond film after Skyfall and Spectre, especially with a new 007 agent.
"To quote a classic, never say never, but I highly doubt it," Mendes said about the possibility of directing another Bond film. He expressed gratitude for having the chance to make two films, as he feels they helped him grow as a filmmaker. "At that stage of my life, it was great. I felt like it helped me break free from some old habits. It pushed me to think on a larger scale. I used different parts of my brain. It takes a lot of energy [to make films like these]."
Mendes, however, feels that he now has too strong of a vision to collaborate effectively within a franchise that requires alignment with the producers' broader vision. "They need someone a little more controllable, someone earlier in their career, who might use this as a stepping stone and who the studio can have more control over," the director explained.
Since the release of Spectre in 2015, Mendes has directed two major films, 1917 and Empire of Light. Yesterday, The Franchise, a satirical series he co-created that pokes fun at the making of superhero movies, debuted on Max. His next project is a highly ambitious endeavor, as he will be tackling the stories of British icons whose significance can perhaps only be compared to James Bond: Mendes is making not one, but four musical biopics about the Beatles, each from the perspective of one of the four members—John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr.
