Bond 25: Danny Boyle High on MGM’s List to Direct (EXCLUSIVE)
By Justin Kroll @krolljvar

With Daniel Craig already on board to return as 007, MGM and Eon are looking to hire a director for the next installment of the James Bond franchise. High on their list is “Slumdog Millionaire” director Danny Boyle, though sources tell Variety that no formal offer has yet been made.

Boyle has keen interest in the project and has always wanted to direct a Bond film. He is currently developing a project for Working Title, but with no cast currently attached, there is always the possibility of pushing that movie back to direct the 25th installment in the series.

Boyle has long been in MGM and Eon’s sights to direct a Bond movie, going back to 2012’s “Skyfall” and 2015’s “Spectre.”

Daniel Craig is set to return to star and Annapurna Pictures is expected to distribute. MGM had no comment.

Sources tell Variety that “White Boy Rick” director Yann Demange was considered a top choice for the job, but after Annapurna won the distribution rights, there’s been one last push to go after a more well-known name.

Sam Mendes directed the previous two installments, which became the highest-grossing films in the series, with “Skyfall” bringing in $1.1 billion globally and “Spectre” earning $880 million at the worldwide box office. Mendes said after the most recent Bond movie that he would not continue directing films in the 007 series, and Eon and MGM have spent considerable time figuring out the direction in which the new movie needed to go.

Boyle most recently directed the limited series “Trust” for FX, and has directed features including “127 Hours” and “Slumdog Millionaire,” for which he won a directing Oscar. He is repped by WME.

Boyle had an idea for a very specific 007 movie, and he and his Trainspotting partner John Hodge have teamed up to work out the beats. Hodge is writing that version and if it all works out, that would be the 007 film that Boyle would helm.