Despite everything that’s happened recently withAmazon’s acquisition of theJames Bondfranchiseand the endless casting rumors surrounding the franchise’s main character, there is still no director officially attached toBond 26. Recasting Bond is going to be a huge challenge, but the filmmaker behind the upcoming entry is an equally important detail.
Despite rumors thatAlfonso Cuaron may be attached toBond 26, this has never been officially confirmed and certainly shouldn’t be taken as fact. Many audiences have also called for Christopher Nolan to get involved with the franchise, but this looks increasingly unlikely due to his ongoing work onThe Odyssey.This leaves the two main candidates somewhat out of the running, meaning the path is once again open for a more underrated, less famous director to get their shot.
10David Mackenzie
Director Of Outlaw King & Hell Or High Water
Despite being responsible for one of the past decade’s most innovative and compelling thriller movies inHell or High Water,David Mackenzie still isn’t a household namein the same way that Nolan and Cuaron are. TheJames Bondfranchise could be a perfect opportunity to give the Scottish filmmaker some more exposure on a large scale.
Mackenzie’s projects are always very brave and constantly push the boundaries of the genre they’re working in;Hell or High Wateris the clearest example, but his work onOutlaw KingandPerfect Sensealso displays his talent very clearly. His innate cinematic flair could be a really effective way of pushingJames Bondinto the future underAmazon’s recent MGM acquisition.
9Rose Glass
Director Of Saint Maud & Love Lies Bleeding
Rose Glass is another up-and-coming director whose debut feature,Saint Maud, received a huge amount of critical acclaim upon its release in 2019. Her follow-up,Love Lies Bleeding, was an equally creative and ambitious thriller that solidified Glass as a formidable talent. However, the fact thatshe’s remained constricted to independent featuresmeans that her name isn’t quite as well-known as it should be.
Although Glass has primarily worked on horror movies, or at least woven some horror into her more dramatic stories, there’s something about the high-octane intensity of her projects that could integrate well into theJames Bondfranchise. Her keen eye fordark imagery and allegorical storytellingcould reinventBond 26in a fascinating way.
8Jeremy Saulnier
Director Of Green Room & Rebel Ridge
Jeremy Saulnier made some incredible moviesover the years, from the pulpy and stylishGreen Roomto the more clinical, clean-cutRebel Ridge, but they’re often remembered for their fun performances and stacked casts rather than his directorial vision.The filmmaker is nowhere near as well-known among general audiencesas he deserves to be despite his films being constantly successful.
He’s a known quantity - Saulnier’s filmography speaks for itself, and he feels like a very safe choice forBond 26.
Saulnier would be a perfect choice forBond 26if the studio decides to go for somebody a little less famous than Nolan or Cuaron, but who’s already proven that he’s just as capable of making a great action movie. Saulnier’s filmography speaks for itself, and he feels like a very safe choice forBond 26.
7Gareth Evans
Director Of The Raid & Apostle
The Raidis frequently considered one of thegreatest action movies ever made, but this praise rarely continues to Evans himself because of how mixed the rest of his filmography is. While there are redeeming elements toApostleandHavoc, they’re nowhere near as innovative and groundbreaking as his 2011 career-making spectacle.This makes him a risky choice forBond 26, but one that could pay immense dividends.
The reason Evans is such a polarizing director is because ofthe sharp, dynamic action set pieces that he employs in his films. This was the central draw ofThe Raid, with Iko Uwais’ protagonist delivering some of the most well-choreographed fight scenes in cinema history. A more intense, action-forwardJames Bondmovie could be a really interesting way of revamping this franchise and ushering in a new era of Ian Fleming’s iconic character.
6Coralie Fargeat
Director Of Revenge & The Substance
Coralie Fargeat stepped more firmly into the public eye in 2024 following the huge success of her horror/comedyThe Substance, which features Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley as two versions of the same woman trying to live in tandem with each other. While this project is a lot more sensationalized and stylish thanJames Bondtypically is,her fluid directorial style could bring a much-needed sense of modernityto a famously outdated character.
WhileThe Substanceperformed very well at the Oscars and made general audiences aware of Fargeat for the first time, her previous movieRevengeis still hugely underrated. This is the film that should serve as herJames Bondaudition. A sprawling, ambitious story about a woman who seeks vengeance on her abusive boyfriend,Revengeproved that Fargeat was capable ofblending intense action scenes with emotional, complex charactersthat audiences can relate to.
5Marc Forster
Director Of World War Z & Quantum Of Solace
It’s always risky bringing aJames Bondalumnus back for another shot, particularly when their first movie is regarded as one of theworst Bond movies of the modern era, but there’s something about Marc Forster’s filmmaking that remains very ambitious and has matured since his work onQuantum of Solace.Despite helming projects likeWorld War ZandMonster’s Ball, Forster’s talent for action filmmaking is still considered underrated by most audiences.
A returningBonddirector could be a very effective method of bridging the gap between Amazon’s newBondfranchise and the existing Daniel Craig movies, even if the filmmaker behindQuantum of Solacewouldn’t be most people’s first choice. Much of the reason that Forster’s previousBondmovie didn’t work ultimately comes down to studio interference and creative conflicts, soit would be very rewarding to give the director a second chance.
4Antoine Fuqua
Director Of Training Day & The Equalizer
Antoine Fuqua is admittedly a very well-known figure within the action genre, but his movies have always been very stylistically different from theJames Bondfranchise. Projects likeTraining DayandThe Equalizerwere hugely successful and acquired plenty of awards when they were released, but Fuqua has never really lent his talents to a long-running franchise like Bond.
Fuqua’s most well-known filmsare all rich, subversive character studies that merely use action as a catalyst to explore more grounded, human themes.This is exactlywhatJames Bondneedsin this new era, stepping away from the clichéd storytelling of the previous movies and trying something new and ambitious with a seasoned storyteller at the helm.
3Patty Jenkins
Director Of Wonder Woman & Monster
Although Patty Jenkins is well-known for her work on the DCEU’sWonder Woman, many audiences still hesitate to give her the credit she deserves as one of the most talented action filmmakers of her generation.Wonder Womanmay be flawed, but many of its storytelling shortcomings were caused by studio conflicts.Jenkins’ direction is brilliant, and it’s a shame that she was never given the chance to flourish within the DC universe.
She’s been done a huge disservice, but her keen directorial eye and blockbuster expertise would be more than welcome inBond 26.
Jenkins’ career has also been at somewhat of a standstill in previous years, as she joined two of cinema’s biggest franchises (DC andStar Wars) but struggled to get her projects off the ground. She’s been done a huge disservice, but her keen directorial eye and blockbuster expertise would be more than welcome inBond 26.
Director Of The Incredibles & Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol
Thecomparisons betweenJames BondandMission: Impossiblehave been ongoing since the latter franchise began almost thirty years ago, but it’s for good reason. Both properties have very similar tones and styles, so it’s surprising that none of theMission: Impossibledirectors have ever been involved with theBondfranchise. If that were to happen now,Ghost Protocol’s Brad Bird would be the most underrated but rewarding choice.
Bird’s work onGhost Protocolalready feels very inspired byJames Bond, with its complex subplots and international storytelling that jumps between countries non-stop throughout its two-hour runtime. This slick, modern take on the spy genre is something that could pushJames Bondforward under Amazon’s supervision.
1Justin Kurzel
Director Of Macbeth & The Order
Kurzel certainly won’t be the first name that comes to mind when consideringBond 26’s potential directors, but the Australian filmmaker could be the key to breathing new life into this long-running spy franchise. Despite helming some of the most compelling, character-driven movies of the past few years withThe OrderandNitram,Kurzel remains a hugely underrated talent whose full potential likely remains untapped.
The filmmaker has covered plenty of different genres throughout his career, from intimate dramas to sprawling war thrillers, andBond 26could be the perfect opportunity to bring him into the spy genre for the first time. He’s already proven on multiple occasions that he’s capable of blending exciting action set pieces with grounded, small-scale character work, and that’s exactly whereJames Bondalways thrives.
