Danny Boyle quit the new Bond film weeks before filming was due to start after a dispute over the film’s Russian villain. Producers are understood to have been in the midst of making final decisions on casting when it was announced that the Oscar-winning director behind Slumdog Millionaire and Trainspotting had quit over “creative differences”.
Rumours that the film’s script was the source of the disagreement have been reported, with producers alleged to be unhappy with the decision to focus on contemporary political tensions with Russia and a “modern-day Cold War”. The Telegraph reports Boyle wanted to cast Polish actor Tomasz Kot as the villain, with the film’s script centering on political tensions with Russia. However, Kot was reportedly thought of as a “left-field” decision for a Bond villain.
It has been reported that it was not so much the producers Boyle clashed with, but rather the film’s star Daniel Craig, who was convinced to return as 007 one more time and is understood to have a large say in casting, according to The Telegraph. Production on Bond 25, slated to commence on December 3, will likely have to be pushed back now. The film was scheduled for an October 25, 2019 release date but will potentially not reach cinemas until 2020.
Boyle and his Trainspotting screenwriting partner John Hodge were developing a script separate from the one Bond franchise regulars Neal Purvis and Robert Wade were writing. As previous reports point out, Boyle would have only moved forward with the project if his script was approved. He has shunned big blockbusters in favor of smaller budgets with more control in recent years.
Source: The Telegraph
