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“You know my name,” sings Chris Cornell at the start of 2006’s Casino Royale. The song, of course, is a cheeky reference to the way that Casino Royale reboots the Bond franchise with Daniel Craig as the lead. However, it might also refer to the man behind the camera for Craig’s debut. After all, Casino Royale director Martin Campbell also helmed 1995’s GoldenEye, which itself kicked off a new era and post-Cold War status quo for Pierce Brosnan.
Thanks to Campbell’s tight action direction, GoldenEye and Casino Royale rank not only at the top of Brosnan and Craig’s tenure, but are also considered by many to be two of the best Bond films ever made.
Given Campbell’s success, it’s no surprise to see his name appear on a list of potential directors for the next entry in the franchise, which is once again set to refresh the franchise with a new actor playing Agent 007. According to The Telegraph, Campbell is one of several directors that production company Eon is considering for the next Bond movie. Other names listed include Edward Berger, whose flashy remake of All Quiet On the Western Front earned a Best Picture nod, as well as Venom‘s Kelly Marcel, David Michôd of Animal Kingdom, Bart Layton of The Imposter, and Yann Demange, who until recently was one of the filmmakers signed on to make Mahershala Ali’s troubled Blade film.
Whoever Eon chooses will have quite the challenge ahead of them. The last entry No Time to Die put a definitive end to Craig’s acclaimed run by (spoiler) killing James Bond at the end. As beloved as Craig’s take was, the franchise traditionally tends to switch things up from one incumbent to the next—or even between installments. For example, Roger Moore went from the Harlem-set Blaxploitation-inspired Live and Let Die in 1973 and the goofy The Man With the Golden Gun in 1974 to the more traditional The Spy Who Loved Me in 1977. After downplaying the cornier aspects of the Bond franchise across Craig’s run, it wouldn’t be surprising for the new era to feature more gadgets, monologuing villains, and over-the-top action sequences.
Given that challenge, Campbell seems like the best choice. While the franchise has had some success with filmmakers who have their own visions, namely Sam Mendes with Skyfall (less so with Spectre), Eon tends to prefer steady hands who will toe the company line. That’s partially why the Bond franchise has been so willing to reuse directors, hiring John Glen to helm five films and Guy Hamilton to helm four.
So while we still don’t know the name of the person who will don the black tux of James Bond, we might soon know the name of the guy calling the shots.
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