Danny Boyle Thinks Robert Pattinson Should Be The Next James Bond

Danny Boyle, who recently announced he was retiring from big franchise films, still has some thoughts for the James Bond franchise he exited: bring on the Batman. Well, technically, he says that producers should hire Twilight and The Batman star Robert Pattinson as the next Bond once current franchise star Daniel Craig steps away. The conversation around replacing Craig has been a consistent source of conversation and controversy for a few years now. Various groups of fans have talked about wanting the diversify the Bond brand by bringing in a female lead or a person of color, while some want to go back to when he couldn't even be blond.

Boyle and his collaborator John Hodge were working on Bond 25 but came to loggerheads with producers, and exited the project. While he says that he has recovered from the disappointment and frustration, his mind inevitably sometimes wanders back to the project. According to a new interview, he was struck by the idea of Pattinson as Bond last month, while watching Claire Denis's High Life, in which Pattinson stars as a desperate father on a deep-space mission.

"And it was so bizarre, because I was sitting there thinking: 'Oh my God, they should get him to be the next Bond,'" Boyle told The Guardian.

Boyle may have been frustrated by the process of trying and failing to put together Bond 25, but he has nothing but good things to say about his replacement as director, Cary Fukunaga.

"I got a very nice message from him and I gave him my best wishes." Boyle revealed earlier this year. "It is just a great shame."

Fukunaga's Bond 25 will see Daniel Craig once again reprise his role as the iconic superspy, potentially for the last time. The film will follow Bond as he has left active service. His peace is short-lived when his old friend Felix Leiter from the CIA turns up asking for help, leading Bond onto the trail of a mysterious villain armed with dangerous new technology.

The cast of Bond 25 will also include Ana de Armas, Lashana Lynch, Naomie Harris, Lea Seydoux, Ben Winshaw, Jeffrey Wright, Ralph Fiennes, and Rami Malek. The script's writers include Fleabag and Solo: A Star Wars Story's Phoebe Waller-Bridge.

Bond 25 is expected to debut on April 8, 2020. Pattinson's turn as The Batman for director Matt Reeves will be in theaters in 2021.