Did clashes with Bond star Daniel Craig force Danny Boyle to pull out as director?
ONE was the much-hyped director tasked with breathing new life into a classic film franchise, the other the much-lauded star who believes he had already saved it.
But so-called “creative differences” — in part between Danny Boyle and Daniel Craig — this week plunged the £5billion James Bond machine into chaos, leaving the as-yet-untitled next instalment looking doomed before it has even got off the ground.
On Tuesday evening it was announced that Boyle had quit, just three months before filming of “Bond 25” was scheduled to begin — with Craig and producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G Wilson blaming those “creative differences”.
But movie insiders say the term is little more than showbiz industry slang, a thinly veiled knifing as Boyle grew increasingly tired of what he saw as constraints placed on him in a bid to keep the star man happy.
And Craig, despite claiming he would sooner “slash his own wrists” than play Bond again — before being won round by an £18.4million pay cheque — wields enormous influence on the Bond film set.
It is thought that he and his co-producers clashed with Boyle once too often, leaving the Trainspotting director feeling there was no choice but to walk out.
Now there are major doubts over whether work will start on the film at all this year, as bosses at its British maker Eon Productions scramble to replace Boyle.
And yesterday, amid the carnage, there were fears that 50-year-old Craig might even walk out on the project too — having made no secret in the past of his disdain for the job.
New reports suggest the fall-out between Boyle and Craig was over whether to cast Polish actor Tomasz Kot as the lead villain.
“Craig has a big say in all the casting decisions. None of the Bond girls have been chosen without his say so,” the reported.
“The problem came in when they were making the final decisions about casting pre-production.”
As Sam Smith crooned in the theme song to 007’s last outing, 2015’s Spectre, the writing was on the wall months ago.
Insiders say Craig, who has driven huge commercial success in his four outings as the British superspy, is no stranger to tense exchanges on set and had proved to be a tough colleague even before the cameras had begun rolling.
He is a powerful figure behind the camera, gaining a co-producer credit on Spectre and Bond 25 and even insisting on changing dialogue and wardrobe choices in a hands-on approach which almost no other star would get away with.
His hold on the production was clear when he was named alongside head honchos Broccoli — whose father Albert co-founded Eon Productions — and her half-brother Wilson in their statement announcing Boyle’s departure. Meanwhile the director himself has so far maintained a dignified silence.
Long before Boyle’s arrival, Craig had proved to be a fiery figure while playing 007. He clashed badly with director Sam Mendes while filming 2012’s Skyfall, later admitting the two had “butted heads quite a lot”.
They regularly shouted at each other over yet more “creative differences” and fell out badly on 2015’s follow-up, Spectre. By the time filming was complete, the pair’s friendship had totally disintegrated.
Sources say Craig only agreed to return for Bond 25 after being assured Mendes would not direct it.
He previously admitted that any return for a fifth and final outing as suave 007 would “only be for the money”, but the huge payday has not persuaded him to quietly get on with the film and move on.
As one Bond “spy” put it: “It’s extraordinary how much power Daniel has on those films — way more than an actor in almost any other franchise. It’s as if he thinks he’s bigger than Bond.
“Barbara and Michael have made it totally clear that they would do almost anything to get Daniel back, even after he told the world he was sick of it, but that has given the impression he’s calling all the shots.”
Others say the actor is prone to tantrums and has a temper when asserting his views on a production.
Some industry figures even question why bosses were so keen to re-hire him at all after a 2015 rant in which he said he “couldn’t give a f***” who replaced him in the role.
And the chaos goes way beyond personnel.
A new script for Bond 25 was penned by Boyle’s friend and long-time collaborator John Hodge to bring his vision for the film to life.
But it meant a previous story by veteran Bond screenwriters Neal Purvis and Robert Wade was shelved in a total reworking of the movie’s plan — leaving question marks over which script will now be used.
Sources yesterday said the Hodge script had proved a major source of contention with the key figures involved, including Broccoli, Wilson and Craig.
The storyline is understood to have marked a major departure from a traditional 007 blockbuster, with more focus on topical issues in a bid to help the franchise move with the times in the #MeToo era of movies.
With a Russian villain at the heart of the story, Boyle had explained: “You acknowledge the legacy of the world of Bond and you write in the world, but you also write in the modern world as well.”
It is thought the arty concepts proved a major concern for those behind the films after the huge commercial success of Spectre, which made £700million worldwide.
As one source close to the set said: “The stakes are very high.
“The new film will have a massive budget but it will be expected to deliver similar profits, too. Anything out of the ordinary risks alienating fans.”
In many respects, Boyle was always an unlikely choice — despite an obsessive desire to sign him up which saw Eon even agree to delay production until he was available.
He had worked with 007 briefly while choreographing the London Olympics opening ceremony in 2012, which saw Bond meet the Queen at Buckingham Palace — and a groundswell of rumours had made him favourite to replace Mendes.
But Boyle remained unsure about his own ability to deliver a conventional Bond action flick, admitting on several occasions that he feels better suited to smaller budgets.
He said: “I’m not really the right guy to make those kinds of films. I like working slightly under the radar, rather than the responsibility of having to deliver to a certain expectation.”
As for a replacement, Dunkirk director Christopher Nolan, Mission Impossible director Christopher McQuarrie and The Night Manager’s Susanne Bier have all been mooted, but a delay of at least another year while a script is finalised and production re-planned appears inevitable.
Industry experts say a release before late 2020 now looks impossible, meaning a five-year gap between Bond films, a major financial blow to the production company.
With every further delay comes the worry that an impatient Craig could also throw in the towel — indicating that he really does have a licence to kill the whole thing.
SKYHAUL AT BOX OFFICE
SEAN CONNERY and Roger Moore might be up there when it comes to fans’ favourite Bonds, but Daniel Craig’s four 007 films have brought in the big bucks.
Skyfall in 2012 took £859,087,014 worldwide, while his most recent outing, Spectre in 2015, grossed £680,461,551.
His debut as 007, Casino Royale, in 2006, took £459,923,777. Two years later Quantum of Solace brought in £457,812,869.
Skyfall held the record for the highest- grossing film of all time in the UK until it was knocked off the top spot by Star Wars: The Force Awakens in 2015.
Pierce Brosnan’s highest grossing turn as Bond came in 2002’s Die Another Day, bringing in £334,208,750 worldwide.
Roger Moore’s big earner was Moonraker in 1979, which took £162,716,470.
Sean Connery had a huge hit with the fourth Bond movie, Thunderball in 1965. It raked in £109,251,382.
Timothy Dalton’s Bond debut, The Living Daylights, in 1987, took £147,938,132.
George Lazenby’s only 007 film, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service in 1969, grossed £63,446,270.
However, when the figures are adjusted for inflation, Sean Connery comes out on top with Thunderball then Goldfinger beating Skyfall into third place.