The long delay that’s held up the return of Daniel Craig as James Bond 007 may be over, as Sam Mendes looks set to shoot the new film next year.
By now, filming should, if all had gone to plan, be underway on the next James Bond film. Daniel Craig was due to be reprising his role as 007, with Rachel Weisz reportedly signed up to star in the new movie, with Sam Mendes behind the camera calling the shots.
As we've reported many times over the past months, however, the financial woes of MGM have brought the project stuttering to a stop, to the point where Eon Productions announced that it had been suspended indefinitely.
Now, we're none the wiser as to how the assorted MGM negotiations are progressing, but there does seem to be a clearing of the mist where James Bond is concerned. For over at Deadline, it's reporting that writer-director Gary Ross is set to sign up to helm Hunger Games for Lionsgate. The relevance of this? Because Sam Mendes was one of the names on the shortlist to direct the film.
However, Deadline reports that Mendes pulled out of the running for the job. Why? Well, in the words of the site, "I'm told it was because the MGM picture is clearing up and it looks like production on 007 could begin by late summer or early fall, 2011 with Mendes at the helm and Daniel Craig back in the Aston Martin."
If that's the case, and if Bond is going back into production next summer, then that points the way for a Christmas 2012 release. Which, ironically, would potentially put it against another project delayed by the MGM saga, The Hobbit Part I.
Once we get confirmation, we'll bring you the news.