'Bond 25' Director Shortlist Reportedly Hints At Danny Boyle's Replacement

MGM is already circling three potential candidates to replace Danny Boyle as the director of Bond 25 after the filmmaker left last month, citing creative differences with the studio.

According to Variety, who have gone "inside the search" for Boyle's replacement in a new piece, the candidates represent two new faces and one who almost got the job before Boyle turned up.

Certainly the list -- currently comprised of Bart Layton, S.J. Clarkson, and Yann Demange -- is subject to change if MGM and Eon don't love what they hear in meetings or find another compelling filmmaker before the movie can go into production. Still, Variety says that meetings are being set up with Layton and Clarkson, and that Demange's upcoming White Boy Rick will be screened for MGM and Eon executives.

Per the report, White Boy Rick was not yet finished when Demange took the last round of meetings, and the studios would have liked to screen it before handing over the reins to Bond. Now that the movie is completed, how they feel about the screening could decide whether Demange remains in contention.

Layton directed American Animals and the documentary The Imposter, and has years of experience as a producer with RAW, a British production company. He wrote and produced several episodes of Locked Up Abroad, documentary series about vacationers who ended up in prison in a foreign country.

Clarkson, who previously directed episodes of EastEnders, Life on Mars, Jessica Jones, and The Defenders, has been helming TV for over a decade but is expected to make her feature film debut with the as-yet-untitled forthcoming Star Trek sequel from producer J.J. Abrams. That film is reportedly in danger of losing members of its principal cast due to contract negotiations, though, and that could cause a delay that opened up the schedule for Clarkson to take on Bond.

In addition to being her directorial debut, Clarkson would be the first woman to direct a Star Trek feature film. If she were to be hired for Bond 25, she would similarly be the first female director to tackle one of the films in MGM's storied spy franchise.

Besides White Boy Rick, Demange directed the BAFTA-nominated '71 and numerous episodes of TV including Secret Diary of a Call Girl and Top Boy. His body of work is more scattered than Clarkson's in the last few years, although he has a new series, Lovecraft Country, currently in production. Since there is no official timetable for the meetings, that too could play a role in MGM and Eon's consideration if there is completed footage for them to see soon.

Producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson will ultimately make the decision on who will step in and helm Bond 25. They're hoping to find a replacement in the next 60 days in order to keep the movie on schedule, and keep its current November 8, 2019 release date...but there are no guarantees.