Despite everything that’s happened recently with Amazon’s acquisition of the James Bond franchise and the endless casting rumors surrounding the franchise’s main character, there is still no director officially attached to Bond 26. Recasting Bond is going to be a huge challenge, but the filmmaker behind the upcoming entry is an equally important detail.

Despite rumors that Alfonso Cuaron may be attached to Bond 26, this has never been officially confirmed and certainly shouldn’t be taken as fact. Many audiences have also called for Christopher Nolan to get involved with the franchise, but this looks increasingly unlikely due to his ongoing work on The Odyssey. This leaves the two main candidates somewhat out of the running, meaning the path is once again open for a more underrated, less famous director to get their sH๏τ.

10

David Mackenzie

Director Of Outlaw King & Hell Or High Water

Despite being responsible for one of the past decade’s most innovative and compelling thriller movies in Hell or High Water, David Mackenzie still isn’t a household name in the same way that Nolan and Cuaron are. The James Bond franchise could be a perfect opportunity to give the Scottish filmmaker some more exposure on a large scale.

Mackenzie’s projects are always very brave and constantly push the boundaries of the genre they’re working in; Hell or High Water is the clearest example, but his work on Outlaw King and Perfect Sense also displays his talent very clearly. His innate cinematic flair could be a really effective way of pushing James Bond into the future under Amazon’s recent MGM acquisition.

9

Rose Glᴀss

Director Of Saint Maud & Love Lies Bleeding

Rose Glᴀss is another up-and-coming director whose debut feature, Saint Maud, received a huge amount of critical acclaim upon its release in 2019. Her follow-up, Love Lies Bleeding, was an equally creative and ambitious thriller that solidified Glᴀss as a formidable talent. However, the fact that she’s remained constricted to independent features means that her name isn’t quite as well-known as it should be.

Although Glᴀss has primarily worked on horror movies, or at least woven some horror into her more dramatic stories, there’s something about the high-octane intensity of her projects that could integrate well into the James Bond franchise. Her keen eye for dark imagery and allegorical storytelling could reinvent Bond 26 in a fascinating way.

8

Jeremy Saulnier

Director Of Green Room & Rebel Ridge

Jeremy Saulnier made some incredible movies over the years, from the pulpy and stylish Green Room to the more clinical, clean-cut Rebel Ridge, but they’re often remembered for their fun performances and stacked casts rather than his directorial vision. The filmmaker is nowhere near as well-known among general audiences as he deserves to be despite his films being constantly successful.

Saulnier would be a perfect choice for Bond 26 if the studio decides to go for somebody a little less famous than Nolan or Cuaron, but who’s already proven that he’s just as capable of making a great action movie. Saulnier’s filmography speaks for itself, and he feels like a very safe choice for Bond 26.

7

Gareth Evans

Director Of The Raid & Apostle

The Raid is frequently considered one of the greatest action movies ever made, but this praise rarely continues to Evans himself because of how mixed the rest of his filmography is. While there are redeeming elements to Apostle and Havoc, they’re nowhere near as innovative and groundbreaking as his 2011 career-making spectacle. This makes him a risky choice for Bond 26, but one that could pay immense dividends.

The reason Evans is such a polarizing director is because of the sharp, dynamic action set pieces that he employs in his films. This was the central draw of The Raid, with Iko Uwais’ protagonist delivering some of the most well-choreographed fight scenes in cinema history. A more intense, action-forward James Bond movie could be a really interesting way of revamping this franchise and ushering in a new era of Ian Fleming’s iconic character.

6

Coralie Fargeat

Director Of Revenge & The Substance

Coralie Fargeat stepped more firmly into the public eye in 2024 following the huge success of her horror/comedy The Substance, which features Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley as two versions of the same woman trying to live in tandem with each other. While this project is a lot more sensationalized and stylish than James Bond typically is, her fluid directorial style could bring a much-needed sense of modernity to a famously outdated character.

While The Substance performed very well at the Oscars and made general audiences aware of Fargeat for the first time, her previous movie Revenge is still hugely underrated. This is the film that should serve as her James Bond audition. A sprawling, ambitious story about a woman who seeks vengeance on her abusive boyfriend, Revenge proved that Fargeat was capable of blending intense action scenes with emotional, complex characters that audiences can relate to.

5

Marc Forster

Director Of World War Z & Quantum Of Solace

It’s always risky bringing a James Bond alumnus back for another sH๏τ, particularly when their first movie is regarded as one of the worst Bond movies of the modern era, but there’s something about Marc Forster’s filmmaking that remains very ambitious and has matured since his work on Quantum of Solace. Despite helming projects like World War Z and Monster’s Ball, Forster’s talent for action filmmaking is still considered underrated by most audiences.

A returning Bond director could be a very effective method of bridging the gap between Amazon’s new Bond franchise and the existing Daniel Craig movies, even if the filmmaker behind Quantum of Solace wouldn’t be most people’s first choice. Much of the reason that Forster’s previous Bond movie didn’t work ultimately comes down to studio interference and creative conflicts, so it would be very rewarding to give the director a second chance.

4

Antoine Fuqua

Director Of Training Day & The Equalizer

Antoine Fuqua is admittedly a very well-known figure within the action genre, but his movies have always been very stylistically different from the James Bond franchise. Projects like Training Day and The Equalizer were hugely successful and acquired plenty of awards when they were released, but Fuqua has never really lent his talents to a long-running franchise like Bond.

Fuqua’s most well-known films are all rich, subversive character studies that merely use action as a catalyst to explore more grounded, human themes. This is exactly what James Bond needs in this new era, stepping away from the clichéd storytelling of the previous movies and trying something new and ambitious with a seasoned storyteller at the helm.

3

Patty Jenkins

Director Of Wonder Woman & Monster

Although Patty Jenkins is well-known for her work on the DCEU’s Wonder Woman, many audiences still hesitate to give her the credit she deserves as one of the most talented action filmmakers of her generation. Wonder Woman may be flawed, but many of its storytelling shortcomings were caused by studio conflicts. Jenkins’ direction is brilliant, and it’s a shame that she was never given the chance to flourish within the DC universe.

Jenkins’ career has also been at somewhat of a standstill in previous years, as she joined two of cinema’s biggest franchises (DC and Star Wars) but struggled to get her projects off the ground. She’s been done a huge disservice, but her keen directorial eye and blockbuster expertise would be more than welcome in Bond 26.

2

Brad Bird

Director Of The Incredibles & Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol

The comparisons between James Bond and Mission: Impossible have been ongoing since the latter franchise began almost thirty years ago, but it’s for good reason. Both properties have very similar tones and styles, so it’s surprising that none of the Mission: Impossible directors have ever been involved with the Bond franchise. If that were to happen now, Ghost Protocol’s Brad Bird would be the most underrated but rewarding choice.

Bird’s work on Ghost Protocol already feels very inspired by James Bond, with its complex subplots and international storytelling that jumps between countries non-stop throughout its two-hour runtime. This slick, modern take on the spy genre is something that could push James Bond forward under Amazon’s supervision.

1

Justin Kurzel

Director Of Macbeth & The Order

Kurzel certainly won’t be the first name that comes to mind when considering Bond 26’s potential directors, but the Australian filmmaker could be the key to breathing new life into this long-running spy franchise. Despite helming some of the most compelling, character-driven movies of the past few years with The Order and Nitram, Kurzel remains a hugely underrated talent whose full potential likely remains untapped.

The filmmaker has covered plenty of different genres throughout his career, from intimate dramas to sprawling war thrillers, and Bond 26 could be the perfect opportunity to bring him into the spy genre for the first time. He’s already proven on multiple occasions that he’s capable of blending exciting action set pieces with grounded, small-scale character work, and that’s exactly where James Bond always thrives.