Earlier this week it was confirmed that British filmmaker Danny Boyle has left Bond 25 due to creative differences not only with producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli, but also with Bond himself Daniel Craig. If the previous production troubles on the likes of Rogue One, Solo, and Fantastic Four are anything to go by, rumours and reports about what went wrong are likely to trickle out in the coming weeks – and an early one suggests that the main issue involved the film's casting.
According to The Telegraph, the fallout hinged on the casting of a Russian villain, with the aim of giving the Spectre follow-up a contemporary Cold War feel – and fittingly it was Tomasz Kot, star of critically acclaimed upcoming Polish drama Cold War, who was possibly in line for the role. But it sounds like the idea of Kot as the villain proved a sticking point somewhere along the line, leading to Boyle's departure. The report states that Craig remains highly involved in casting his Bond films – make of that what you will.
While any reports on the reasons behind Boyle’s departure should be treated as rumour for now, it’ll be interesting to see if future reports corroborate the casting disputes – or if other issues come to light. Either way, Bond 25 is currently director-less, and with Boyle gone it's expected that John Hodge's script is being binned too. With an original release date of 25 October 2019 it seems likely that Craig’s (probable) final outing might be pushed back to allow the production to get back on track.
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