The James Bond movies have never played out with the clearest timelines, but it looks like Bond 24 will closely follow Skyfall.
After the success of Skyfall in 2012, Bond 24 will reunite writer John Logan, director Sam Mendes, and star Daniel Craig.
Craig and Logan are confirmed for Bond 25, the film that will be tied to Bond 24 in story arc. Mendes has yet to reveal officially if he’ll return for that film, but it currently looks likely.
Logan spoke to Empire (via Collider) and gave some really interesting information on the status of Bond 24.
“Right now the first draft is almost done,” Logan said. “I’m terrifically excited about it! I’ve been working very closely with Sam [Mendes], and it’s been joyous to pick up from our work on Skyfall and just continue on with the storytelling. The new movie continues the themes of Skyfall. Some of the characters and themes that we began to introduce in Skyfall will play out, I hope successfully, in the next movie.”
Logan didn’t specifically reveal there that Bond 24 will be a Skyfall sequel. The timeline on the James Bond movies has always been hazy enough to where trying to connect them in sequence is futile, but it could be argued that the Daniel Craig starred movies have followed more of a timeline than previous ones. With this in mind, it would make sense that Bond 24 would be more or less a Skyfall sequel.
We think the idea to tie them together, especially in theme, is a good one. It can only help in the growth of character in Craig’s Bond, making for even better movies.
Logan also revealed that Bond 24 may make some callbacks to past movies and books.
“There might be [a presence of S.P.E.C.T.R.E.]! Honestly, not being evasive, but the great thing about Bond is that I have fifty years of movies – 23 movies and all the Ian Fleming novels and short stories, all of which are fodder. And when I’m working on the new Bond I’m constantly going back to Fleming and the other movies – what are the bits and pieces, what are the resonances? One of the things we learned in Skyfall is that the audience really enjoyed those, they enjoyed when they saw the Aston Martin, they enjoyed when we had references to things they grew up with, either from Ian Fleming or from the other movies, and that’s always been a part of my thinking about Bond.”
As fans of the James Bond movies, we love those callbacks.