Chiwetel Ejiofor is not just an actor; he’s an accomplished director, and next week, on August 16, his Sundance indie “Rob Peace” starring Jay Will, Mary J. Blige, Ejiofor himself, Camila Cabello, Gbenga Akinnagbe hits theaters in limited release (read our review). Out on the campaign trailer to promote the film, Ejiofor recently stopped by the Happy Sad Confused podcast to talk about “Rob Peace” and much more, including his double dip into the Marvel and Sony/“Spider-Man” universe.

Continue reading Chiwetel Ejiofor Admits He Was In The Bond Villain Mix For A Minute & Talks ‘Venom 3’ & Potential Marvel Return at The Playlist.

Rumored to be playing the next James Bond (by the same U.K. tabloid that said Cillian Murphy was the favorite last week and that Paul Mescal was a lock before that, insert eye roll here), Aaron Taylor Johnson is railing against Hollywood in a new Rolling Stone UK interview. The actor, who appeared opposite Brad Pitt in 2022’s “Bullet Train” and co-stars in the upcoming “The Fall Guy” movie with Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt, is poised to have his leading moment later this year with Sony’s “Kraven The Hunter.”

READ MORE: ‘Kraven The Hunter’ Trailer: Sony’s R-Rated ‘Spider-Man’ Spinoff Starring Aaron Taylor-Johnson Arrives In August

Given how poorly Sony’s “Spider-Man” films have performed of late—two back-to-back, ridiculed bombs in “Morbius” and “Madame Web,” and the “Venom” films that make money but no one actually seems to love—Johnson might think to choose his words carefully.

Continue reading Aaron Taylor Johnson Says Audiences Are Sick Of Studios “Churning Out Stuff That Dilutes Going To The Cinema” at The Playlist.

Filmmaker Matthew Vaughn (“Kick-Ass”), thus far, has essentially made an entire career out of making spy films, ones arguably much more irreverent than the James Bond movies—a series he seemingly was desperate to be a part of at one point. But then Vaughn came up with the “Kingsman” franchise in 2014 with the first installment, “Kingsman: The Secret Service,” and then basically never looked back.

Continue reading Matthew Vaughn Says He Has No Shot At Directing Bond: “They’re Not Keen On Me” at The Playlist.

The line from many fans and pundits, at least online, is that Christopher Nolan, currently promoting his “Oppenheimer” movie is that he will eventually direct a James Bond film. I’ve always felt that was wrong. Nolan got a lot of his James Bond ya yas out when directing “Inception,” many of the action sequences are influenced by James Bond films, and Nolan said as much at the time.

Continue reading James Bond: Christopher Nolan Says Directing One Would Be An “Amazing Privilege” But Notes All The “Constraints” Of The Franchise at The Playlist.

For the past seven years, filmmaker Matthew Vaughn has been scratching his spy film itch with his ‘Kingsman’ franchise. Over the course of three films (the third of which, “The King’s Man,” arriving this week, read our review here), Vaughn has shown himself to be a pretty solid director of superspy material. However, with his film pedigree and his British-ness, Vaughn doesn’t think the producers of the James Bond films will be calling anytime soon. 

READ MORE: The 100 Most Anticipated Films Of 2022

Speaking to Comicbook.com, Matthew Vaughn talked about the possibility of directing a James Bond feature.

Continue reading Matthew Vaughn Doesn’t Think Bond Producers Want Anything To Do With Him & Says Henry Cavill “Was Born To Play Bond” at The Playlist.

“No Time To Die” is already on screens in the United Kingdom and will be Daniel Craig‘s last outing as the British spy, James Bond, allowing a new actor to fill those well-tailored suits. He’s already done multiple promotional rounds for the massive action film that had been delayed multiple times starting in the fall of 2019.

READ MORE: Daniel Craig Will Miss How Rewarding Bond Movies Feel & Has No Input On Who Will Replace Him As 007

Speaking on the film’s delays with The Empire Film Podcast, Craig echoed reports that streamers were trying to get their hands on “No Time To Die,” stating it would have “felt wrong” if the film ended up on a streaming service rather than a theater.

Continue reading Daniel Craig Thankful ‘No Time To Die’ Wasn’t Dumped On Streaming & Says ‘Quantum’ Was A “Sh*tshow” at The Playlist.

“No Time To Die” sees the final outing for Daniel Craig in the iconic role as MI6 agent James Bond and fans have already started giving their own ideas of who should take the part in “Bond 26.”

READ MORE: ‘No Time To Die’: Daniel Craig’s Final Bow As James Bond Is Worth Toasting [Review]

Various actors have been rumored as potential contenders over the years, such as Michael Fassbender, Idris Elba, Tom Hiddleston, Tom Hardy, Henry Cavill, Jamie Bell, Rege-Jean Page, Riz Ahmed, Richard Madden, Henry Golding, Aidan Turner, James Norton, Cillian Murphy, Sam Heughan, and Jack Lowden.

Continue reading Tom Hardy Comments Coyly On Those James Bond Rumors: “I Don’t Know About That” at The Playlist.

Since Daniel Craig nearly left the iconic 007 role, following the disaster of “Spectre,” the title of his final Bond film, director Cary Joji Fukunaga’s “No Time To Die,” has carried a cruelly ironic tone. Craig has had nothing but time: days, months, and now years added to his sentence as the man who orders his martini best shaken, not stirred. Since his 2006 debut in “Casino Royale,” Craig’s Bond, the actor himself now age 53, more than any other iteration of the character, grappled with loss, mortality, and heartbreak.

Continue reading ‘No Time To Die’: Daniel Craig’s Final Bow As James Bond Is Worth Toasting [Review] at The Playlist.

British actor Mark Strong has made a career playing cinematic bad guys for big studio movies, but there has been one franchise that has been allusive to him: James Bond. The actor revealed to Sky One’s There’s Something About Movies (via Express) that he blew a potential villain role in a James Bond film that Pierce Brosnan led. 

READ MORE: ‘Skyfall’ Writer Is Worried About The James Bond Franchise After Amazon/MGM Deal

“I went up for a villain in a Bond movie [in the] Pierce Brosnan era…And I learnt the lines… and to celebrate I went out for a drink, and I got pissed.

Continue reading Mark Strong Blames A Drunken Night Out With Pal Daniel Craig For Blowing Bond Villain Audition During The Pierce Brosnan Era at The Playlist.

Reports surfaced last night: the 25th James Bond movie is being delayed. Pushing off from its intended Valentine’s Day 2020 release date, MGM will now open the movie two months later on Easter, April 8, 2020. ‘Bond 25’ is looking down the barrel of a gun: an impending April start date (originally March, recently pushed) and a script that no one is entirely happy with.

READ MORE: Léa Seydoux Teams Up With Daniel Craig’s 007 Once Again In ‘Bond 25’

Sources close to the project tell us that Scott Z.

Continue reading Scott Z. Burns Hired To Rewrite ‘Bond 25’ For Director Cary Fukunaga [Exclusive] at The Playlist.

It’s Friday and I’m feeling a bit salty, so here’s a hot take: the only great James Bond movie Neal Purvis and Robert Wade have written is “Casino Royale.” The duo have been franchise mainstays, penning the last half dozen 007 adventures (“The World Is Not Enough,” “Die Another Day,” “Casino Royale,” “Quantum Of Solace,” “Skyfall,” “Spectre“), and clearly producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G.

Continue reading Writers Of Last Six 007 Movies Returning For ‘Bond 25’ at The Playlist.

Intellectual property is a tricky thing in Hollywood. It’s really all the studios want to make, whether it’s an adaptation of a well-known video game, a remake, a comic book property, a popular, best-selling book or some form of branded entertainment. I.P. drives Hollywood and informs nearly all of its decisions. But as 2016 has shown, I.P. isn’t performing well, at least in the U.S. See: “Warcraft,”“Independence Day: Resurgence,” “Alice In Wonderland: Through The Looking Glass,” “Snow White And The Huntsman,” “X-Men: Apocalypse” and most likely this weekend, “Tarzan.”

READ MORE: How Summer 2016 Could Rock Hollywood’s Confidence In Franchises & Sequels

But while some filmmakers flirt with I.P., director Nicolas Winding Refn being one of them, not all directors stick it through.

Continue reading Nicolas Winding Refn Suggests ‘Barbarella’ Show Isn’t Happening; Admits To Meetings About ‘Bond’ & ‘Wonder Woman’ at The Playlist.

Continue reading Tom Hiddleston Still Insists He Won’t Be Playing James Bond at The Playlist.

Is James Bond role going to go to much younger actors? It seems like that could be the case if things don’t turn out as the producers of the franchise want. There are rumors that Jamie Bell could be given the license to kill, but those generated from the Daily Mail, which can be very hit and miss when it comes to celebrity news. But maybe the paper is onto something. 

Continue reading Jamie Bell Discussing James Bond Role With Producers, But Daniel Craig May Not Be Done With 007 at The Playlist.

Well, first of all, a MGM contact has emailed FusedInFilm and denied all kinds of delay reports despite the fact that the Bond producers themselves have said the timetable for shooting is now “up in the air.”

Further casting doubt on any potential problems, the film has apparently found its director in Academy Award-winning director Sam Mendes (“Revolutionary Road,” “American Beauty”) according to HeatVision (or at least he’s in negotiations).

Continue reading Sam Mendes To Direct ‘Bond 23’ at The Playlist.

007 star Daniel Craig himself said shooting on “Bond 23” (its working title) would commence at the end of 2010, but new reports suggest otherwise.

“Bond 23” writer Peter Morgan recently said that pre-production was put on hold until February, and fansite M16 (via Anne Thompson) says because of MGM’s various and well-documented money problems — i.e., pending the resolution of distributor MGM’s sale — Bond producers are unsure when the project will actually shoot.

Continue reading ‘Bond 23’ Delayed; Producer Say Timeline Is “Up In The Air” at The Playlist.

And in fact, the trades are essentially acting as bloggers now and making a report about this exact same quote and occurrence, but of course, not linking anyone.

Continue reading 23rd ‘Bond’ Film Shooting Next Year at The Playlist.

Continue reading Quentin Tarantino Talks The ‘Casino Royale’ Bond Movie He Wanted Pierce Brosnan For; Still Wants Credit For 2006 Reboot at The Playlist.

We surely don’t think so, but the U.K. Sun (yeah, yeah, we know…) is reporting that Bond chief Barbara Broccoli, who now heads the huge 007 franchise at EON Productions, is leading the charge for his directorial talents.

Fresh off his Oscar win for “Slumdog Millionaire,” the Hollywood offers are apparently pouring in.

Continue reading Dear Danny Boyle, Please Reject All ‘Bond 23’ Film Offers, Thank You at The Playlist.

In a recent interview with the Miami Herald, Damon went off again, dismissing that Bond (and it’s reboot?) just can’t touch this. This being ‘Bourne.’ He also revealed that his pals Steven Soderbergh was once offered a gig directing a Bond flick.

Continue reading Matt Damon Hints That He’s On Board For 4th ‘Bourne’; Calls James Bond “Repulsive” (Again) at The Playlist.

You think he’s being facetious, but Diddy already wanted to make a “Black Jason Bourne” movie and plus we all know he thinks he has a grasp on irony, but is far from it.

Continue reading Quantum Of Diddy? Mogul Uses Frangrance Commercial As Audtion Tape To Announce Candidacy For Next James Bond Film at The Playlist.

Continue reading Scenes: ‘Quantum Of Solace’ – ” Do You Know You’ve Being Played” at The Playlist.

At a recent ‘Solace’ junket in L.A. that FirstShowing attended, Foster was asked if he’d like to helm the next edition, but he declined and said he needs to take some time off and reclaim his life.

Continue reading ‘Quantum Of Solace’ Director Marc Forster Says He Won’t Direct Next Bond Film at The Playlist.

Continue reading We Don’t Care About The New ‘Quantum Of Solace’ Theme Song Video… But Here It Is at The Playlist.

Continue reading Jack White Disavows Bond Theme In Coke Zero Commercial at The Playlist.