After immortalizing zombies, Danny Boyle was set to tackle an immortal figure of action cinema. In 2018, the director of 28 Days Later was entrusted with the 25th and final installment of the James Bond saga. In front of his camera, Daniel Craig was promised a grandiloquent farewell to the character he has played since Casino Royale in 2006. A 12-year reign that Boyle hoped to pay homage to in collaboration with John Hodge. With the screenwriter of Trainspotting, the director thought he had found the perfect idea. But MGM, and especially the producers, didn't see it that way, and Danny Boyle packed up and left after several months of development. This creative dispute led him to abandon the 007 universe altogether. Cary Joji Fukunaga took over, and the film will be released in theaters in 2023 after numerous delays.
While currently promoting 28 Years Later, the sequel to his horror film, Danny Boyle was once again asked about this aborted opus. Little was shared about his version of the script, except that it was supposed to feature a surprise child of James Bond and the character's death as a finale. Both ideas were incorporated into the story, but in very different ways.
According to rumors, in Danny Boyle's version, Bond's daughter was supposed to be the product of a previous affair of the spy, and not the child he had with Madeleine. Even today, Boyle regrets never having been able to deliver this version to the audience. He explains: “What I regret is that the script was really good. John Hodge is a fantastic writer.” He adds that the historical producers, who have since packed up and left, failed to recognize the value of this script.
New chance?
While he couldn't give audiences the James Bond they dreamed of, all is not lost. For several months now, producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson have given control of the license to Amazon MGM. After preventing the start of a 26th film, they gave in for a tidy sum. The next film will therefore fit into the new studio's strategy, which should take advantage of 007's illustrious name to attract viewers.
New producers have been hired, but no director, according to the latest news. Could Danny Boyle try his luck again? Nothing could be further from the truth. The director is very busy, working on hatching a new trilogy in the "28" universe. By his own admission, 007 is the least of his worries. This is all in the past for the man who concluded in front of Business Insider: "Whatever happens to Bond in the future, it's what had to happen."
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