The James Bond rumor mill is operating at full tilt.
As the radio silence from MGM and Eoin continues unabated – both studios recently locked down a late 2019 release for the untitled Bond 25, but nothing more – British tabloid The Mirror (via /Film) has compiled a report that claims to have identified the film’s working title, Daniel Craig’s all-but-inevitable return, and the novel on which Bond 25 will be based: Never Dream Of Dying.
Before we deep dive into this latest info dump, we should stress that The Mirror isn’t exactly what one would call a reliable source in the film industry, and the outlet’s track record with Bond, in particular, is sketchy at best. With that disclaimer out of the way, let’s indulge in a little 00 speculation, shall we?
First thing’s first: the 25th instalment in MGM’s iconic spy franchise is reportedly simmering in pre-production under the working title, Shatterhand, and will see Daniel Craig’s super-spy square off against a blind supervillain. He’s confronted disfigured maniacs (Raoul Silva) and ghosts from the past (Ernst Stavro Blofeld), so the possibilities for Bond’s latest adversary are, quite frankly, endless. Also of note, the director shortlist has been whittled down to three: Yann Demange, Denis Villeneuve (Blade Runner 2049), and David MacKenzie.
Another tidbit buried in The Mirror’s report is the source material from which MGM will be working from. Its name? Never Dream Of Dying, a Bond novel from the mind of Raymond Benson that graced store shelves in 2001. As ardent fans will know all too well, Benson has become a fixture of the franchise, after penning the novelizations for a number of the Pierce Brosnan movies, including Tomorrow Never Dies, The World is Not Enough, and Die Another Day.
Lastly, it seems 007 will be packing his bags for Croatia, now that the sun-kissed Dubrovnik has allegedly been earmarked as a potential filming location. Sources claim that the Croatian town, coupled with the Never Dream of Dying novel, has Bond 25 screenwriters Neal Purvis and Robert Wade very excited indeed.
Bond scriptwriters feel it could be the perfect follow-up to Spectre. They are hoping to film in Croatia next year.
When it comes to Bond 25, there’s only one thing we really know for sure, and that’s the film’s due date: November 8th, 2019. With regards to this latest speculation though, what are your thoughts on The Mirror’s findings? An exciting possibility? Or total hogwash? Let us know in the usual place.
