General

American Beauty director signs on for next 007 film

Sam Mendes the latest in a line of non-action directors to tackle James Bond franchise

The producers of the James Bond franchise have signed Sam Mendes to direct the next (as yet untitled) film in the series, the third with Daniel Craig as the world’s oldest spy. Mendes, a British movie and theatre director, is best known for the 2001 suburban drama American Beauty, for which he won an Oscar for Best Director; he will be the first such winner to direct a Bond film. But he has never directed an action movie, and with the exception of some war scenes in the movie Jarhead, has rarely even directed action scenes. However, Bond producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael Wilson seem to want more prestigious directors on their staff; the last movie, Quantum of Solace, was directed by another non-action director, Marc Forster (Monster’s Ball), and made lots of money despite mixed reviews. Mendes’s Bond movie is expected to be released in 2011.

Hollywood Reporter

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