The next James Bond movie has a new director — and a surprising release date


After some behind-the-scenes drama, the next James Bond movie is back on track with a new director at the helm.
Director Danny Boyle departed the forthcoming Bond film in August due to creative differences, but now, Cary Fukunaga has been brought in to replace him, per The Hollywood Reporter. Fukunaga directed every episode of True Detective's first season, as well as the film Beasts of No Nation and the Netflix miniseries Maniac, which premieres Friday.
Production for the film is now set to begin in March 2019, and a release date of Feb. 14, 2020 has been set. The movie was previously set to open in November 2019. This new Valentine's Day opening bucks a longstanding trend: Every James Bond film has been released in the fall since 1995's Goldeneye.
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Boyle reportedly left the project following a disagreement over who to cast as the film's villain, The Telegraph reported, although one wild rumor suggested that it was because he did not want to kill off Bond, as the producers demanded. This is expected to be Daniel Craig's final performance as the character. He said in 2015 he would rather "slash [his] wrists" than play Bond one more time.
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Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.
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