Martin Campbell directed GoldenEye, Pierce Brosnan’s first outing as 007, and then returned to helm Daniel Craig’s debut: Casino Royale in 2006. Between the two projects, he had turned down the opportunity to work on a second caper for Brosnan’s incarnation of the spy – but was evidently interested in what could be explored when Die Another Day, Brosnan’s swansong, left bosses eager to shake things up.
Speaking to The Guardian, Campbell said: “I turned down Pierce’s subsequent Bond films.
“There’s always a madman taking over the world and a control room that has to be blown up.
“The producers felt the last of the Brosnan Bond films, Die Another Day, had got too fantastical, with the invisible car and the ice palace.
“They decided there had to be a complete rethink. That’s how Casino Royale came about.”
That “complete rethink” worked: Casino Royale was met with a strong reception from fans and critics alike.
Reflecting on GoldenEye, Campbell said: “It’s exciting breaking in a new Bond. I did Daniel Craig’s first one, too. You’ve got something to work with.
“The producers had been checking other people out just in case. I think they may have looked at Mel Gibson and Ralph Fiennes. But it was obvious Pierce was the right person.
“You couldn’t get a better-looking Bond. Put him in a tuxedo and it’s game over, mate.”
James Bond is returning in 2020 with a new film – the 25th in the franchise, and Craig’s fifth.
Cary Joji Fukunaga is directing, with filming strongly rumoured to be taking place in locations such as Norway and Greece.
Craig is expected to bow out after this next movie, with speculation ongoing as to who can replace him.
Richard Madden and Tom Hiddleston remain the current frontrunners with bookies.