Sam Mendes back to direct Bond 24, Penelope Cruz marked as the next Bond Girl

The 23rd James Bond movie SKYFALL was such a success in the box office and among critics and fans as well, that many of us were disappointed when we heard that director Sam Mendes would not be back to do Bond 24. Initially, Mendes had earlier stated that he would be busy with his career in theater (stage productions of Charlie and the Chocolate Factor and King Lear). And for a while, we had been hearing news about some possible director choices being eyed by EON Productions and Sony for the job; such as Christopher Nolan, among several other names. But recent developments has brought back Sam Mandes to the negotiating table. And we may get to see that Mendes-helmed follow up with Bond 24, and possibly Bond 25 as well. Buzz on this upcoming project is fast gathering steam, as Penelope Cruz has already been marked to be the next Bond girl. [details after the jump]

Recent reports say that Mendes recently got back in touch with Broccoli and Wilson, and the filmmaker subsequently changed his tune and is now in talks to direct the 24th James Bond film.  Apparently the producers have agreed to wait until Mendes has completed his stage commitments before moving forward with Bond 24, which is in keeping with the hoped for 2016 release date that we reported on earlier today.  Mendes is currently knee-deep in prepping the West End launch of the Charlie and the Chocolate Factor musical, after which he is expected to move on to helming a stage adaptation of King Lear.

This is a refreshing development, not only because Mendes crafted one of the best Bond films ever made with Skyfall, but also because a studio is actually willing to wait and not rush a franchise entry in order to ensure that it is creatively up to snuff.  This is rare nowadays, as studios frequently begin work on the next installment of a series before the current one is even finished filming.  With Mendes not having to rush towards a firm release date, the director should have plenty of time to collaborate with Skyfall screenwriter John Logan in order to put together a hopefully worthy follow-up film.

We learned back in November that Mendes and Logan already had a story idea for Bond 24, so it’ll be interesting to see how they deliver on the many developments that occurred in Skyfall.

As for Penelope Cruz, producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson reportedly tried to get Cruz in the past, but were unable to do so due to scheduling conflicts.

Filming on Bond 24 is set to begin next summer.  While a 2016 release had been mentioned, if the film shoots in summer 2014, then a 2015 release could be a serious possibility.