Veteran screenwriter and Skyfall co-writer John Logan is lined up to pen Bond 24 and Bond 25, which will reportedly feature a two-film storyline, the first in James Bond history.
This news comes as Skyfall begins its international rollout, just two weeks in advance of its U.S. premiere, and already critically touted with a 95% Rotten Tomatoes score. Three-time Academy Award nominated Logan co-wrote Skyfall with two others, although it would appear at least the first few drafts of Bond 24 and Bond 25 will be a solo effort.
Deadline reported the news, saying Logan pitched the films quietly during Skyfall filming, with a deal already done and scripting underway.
Logan’s credits include Gladiator, Hugo, The Aviator, Rango, Sweeney Todd, and many others. Skyfall was co-written with Neal Purvis and Robert Wade, who have previously teamed up on several James Bond films. Logan made the deal with producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael Wilson.
The Daily Mail, meanwhile, is reporting that the next James Bond film is already in pre-production with plans for a 2014 release. While nothing is confirmed, considering the nature of the storyline and the fact Daniel Craig will be signed-on, it would seem logical for the next two installments to film back-to-back.
It remains unlikely that Skyfall director Sam Mendes will return for Bond 24, let alone Bond 25, telling Metro, “Do I want to do another [James Bond film]? I’m a shadow of my former self. No, I don’t know. I felt like everything I wanted to do with a Bond movie, I put into this film. So I would have to be convinced that I could do something that I loved and cared about as much if I was to do it again. I think the great risk of repeating oneself is that one doesn’t have the great store of ideas that you have when you first tackle a subject.”
With pre-production underway, we’ll have answers to these questions quite soon. In the meantime, Skyfall is rolling into cinemas.