A couple of weeks ago we reported that the indications were good that Sam Mendes may return to direct BOND 24. Today however that idea was shot down by the man himself, who released the following statement…

“It has been a very difficult decision not to accept Michael and Barbara’s very generous offer to direct the next Bond movie. Directing SKYFALL was one of the best experiences of my professional life, but I have theatre and other commitments, including productions of Charlie And The Chocolate Factory and King Lear, that need my complete focus over the next year and beyond.”

So there it is. You can see why EON would be keen to capitalise on all of the success of SKYFALL (there are even rumours of them approaching Adele for theme song duties again – although these came from The Sun newspaper so here’s a pinch of salt with that) but there are a huge number of directors out there who could bring an exciting spin to the next Bond instalment.

So the speculation officially begins here. Who would you like to see direct BOND 24? Danny Boyle? Matthew Vaughn? Christopher Nolan? Let us know what you think in the comments below.

SKYFALL is out on DVD and Blu-ray now. BOND 24 will probably hit cinemas in late 2014/2015

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