In some of his first direct comments on Bond 25 since his appointment, Cary Fukunaga has spoken in a bit more detail about how he might helm the new 007 movie. Speaking in Los Angeles to the Inquirer.net website, the new director hinted that the screenplay was still being developed, but also dropped some tantalising hints about the overall direction the movie may go in.
Reflecting on his appointment to such a ‘large’ job, Fukunaga said at one point: ‘Now that I have the job, I just keep my head down and try to figure out how to make this as good as possible’. Fukunaga, who was born and raised in northern California, also recalled some of his childhood memories, and said: ‘The first Bond I ever saw was A View To A Kill, with Roger Moore. The whole finale took place in the Bay Area which is where I’m from. So to see my home on the big screen was really exciting. It made your own life seem larger than itself’.
He also revealed that the theme song to A View To A Kill by Duran Duran also made a big impact on him as a youngster: ‘I have an older brother who is 7 years older than me, so all of the music that was his favourite became my favourite music. To me, Duran Duran’s Bond theme song… was probably one of the best songs ever, because I love Duran Duran’.
From a View To a Thrill
The American director also told Inquirer.net that he is looking forward to working with Daniel Craig on the new movie, which officially starts shooting in March, 2019: ‘Daniel is an incredible actor. Outside of Bond, I have been a fan for years of his work. For me, he was the best part of Road to Perdition‘. Fukunaga also said of Craig: ‘In his first Bond movie, Casino Royale, he brought an incredible amount of vulnerability and humanity to the character, which was a big shift from Pierce Brosnan’s run’. He continued: ‘In terms of what I can bring to change the character, Bond is on a character arc that started with Casino Royale, and I will be carrying that over. There will be changes, I am sure. As in any story, a character has to change in order [to have] a narrative’.
Interestingly, Fukugaga did not confirm or deny rumours that Christoph Waltz (Blofeld) and Ben Whishaw (‘Q’) are not returning to the franchise’s latest adventure: ‘Who is saying those rumours? We haven’t finished the screenplay, so there is no way that anyone could know that. Those are two extraordinary actors, so if there is space for them in the story, I would absolutely want them there. But I don’t know yet what it’s going to be’.
When quizzed by the website on whether he is already planning the action scenes for Bond 25, Cary admitted: ‘A little bit, but not all yet. I am trying to get the narrative stuff sorted out and have a good story to tell’. But he was apparently keen to reassure loyal 007 fans that Bond 25 will keep the EON franchise tradition of featuring some exotic locations. He said: ‘Yeah, there will be the things in the Bond-verse that you have come to expect. I can’t say too much, though’.
When told that Bond fans can’t wait to see his Bond 25, Fukunaga laughed and responded: ‘Me, too! I can’t wait either’.
