Academy Award winning director and ex- Bangor University student Danny Boyle has confirmed he will be working on the next James Bond movie.
Ending months of speculation, Boyle has said that he will be handling writing and directorial duties for the 25th installment in the franchise.
This is expected to be the final one featuring Chester-born Daniel Craig as the infamous 007.
Speaking to Metro US at the New York premiere of his new show , Trust, Boyle said: “We are working on a script at the moment, we’ll see what happens. But it’s a great idea, so hopefully it will work. I’d love to be able to tell you more ... but I’m not going to.”
Explaining his current project, a comedy written by Richard Curtis, the 61-year-old said: “We hope to start shooting that in six or seven weeks. Then Bond would be right at the end of the year. But we are working on them both right now.”
He also revealed that he will be once again be working with screenwriter John Hodge, who he previously collaborated with on Slumdog Millionaire, The Beach and Trainspotting, as well as the recent sequel, T2.
The Oscar winner will take over from Skyfall and Spectre director Sam Mendes, and says he and Hodge have a “great idea” for the script.
Director Christopher Nolan was originally rumoured to be lined up for the job, but denied reports during an appearance on BBC Radio 4 last month.
He said: “I’d love to make a Bond film at some point and I think [Barbara Broccoli and Michael G Wilson] do a tremendous job. Sam Mendes has done a terrific job the last couple of films, so they don’t particularly need me.
“But I’ve always been inspired by the films and would love to do one someday.”
Boyle graduated from Bangor University in 1978 with a degree in English and Drama. His debut film Shallow Grave won the BAFTA Award for Best British Film in 1994. His 2008 film Slumdog Millionaire - the most successful British film of that decade - was nominated for ten Academy Awards and won eight, including the Academy Award for Best Director.
His 2012 London Olympics opening ceremony - which featured Craig’s 007 meeting the Queen and appearing to skydive into the stadium with her - was widely celebrated.
Boyle remained tight-lipped about the details of the script, but the idea that they will finish shooting by the end of the year suggests that there are no production hold-ups and we can expect it to hit its current release date on November 8, 2019.
MGM and Eon Productions have yet to confirm Boyle’s confirmation.
