After the success of John Wick, stuntman turned director Chad Stahelski found himself with offers flooding in. However, unlike his co-director, David Leitch, who departed for The Coldest City and Deadpool 2, Stahelski stayed on board the Keanu Reeves-led action series and this weekend he brought us John Wick: Chapter 2. Another bloody, thrilling and wholly enjoyable flick, it undoubtedly opened up even more doors for the filmmaker, and where he’ll go next is anyone’s guess.
So far, he’s still attached to the Highlander reboot, but aside from that, it doesn’t look like he’s got anything lined up. While we’re sure things won’t stay that way for long, it seems that Stahelski’s already eyeing his dream project: James Bond. In a recent interview with Movie Web, the director mentioned that the iconic franchise needs to be reinvented and that he’d love to be the one to do it.
“I’m interested in projects where you can world create. To jump back into somebody else’s world where it’s already been around for so long would be scary. But if there was one property, that wouldn’t be a bad one to try and invest yourself. Especially because of the ebb and flow of the Bond universe right now, I think the timing is good for a slight reinvention with a different perspective shift. Bond has gone from completely serious to totally cheeky to really fun again, to emotional, to serious, to internal, to external. I would love to give the pitch and if they got my wacky version of it, and it fit, yeah. That’s almost a dream too big.”
Though he doesn’t have too much directing experience, we certainly wouldn’t be opposed to seeing Stahelski taking a stab at the next Bond film. His handle on action scenes and fight choreography is superb, as demonstrated by both John Wick movies, and he’d be able to infuse a real sense of energy and style into the franchise.
Right now, the next 007 instalment doesn’t have a director attached (and may not even have a star if Daniel Craig walks), so there’s certainly room here for Stahelski to move in. Whether or not the studio would consider him is another matter entirely, but now that he’s gone 2 for 2 behind the camera, you’ve gotta believe that more people are starting to sit up and take notice. Could the road he’s on lead to James Bond? We wouldn’t totally rule it out, but until plans become a whole lot firmer for the next entry in the series, it’s hard to say which direction things will head in.
What do you think, though? Would Stahelski and 007 be a good match? Or did you have your eye on someone else to direct the super spy’s next movie? Sound off in the usual place and let us know!
