With one James Bond director out, Guy Ritchie has been favored to take over for Sam Mendes ( Skyfall ) on Bond 24, according to British bookmakers William Hill.
William Hill placed the odds at 4-1 in favor of the Sherlock Holmes director, who beat out Martin Scorsese (9-1), Steven Spielberg (10-1), and Quentin Tarantino (33-1) , The Hollywood Reporter noted on Friday, March 8.
Tarantino’s probability was also matched by directors Clint Eastwood and James Cameron meaning that if you liked Django Unchained , Million Dollar Baby , or Aliens , you’re out of luck.
Rupert Adams, William Hill spokesman, cited the Sherlock Holmes films as “an enormous success” for Ritchie, adding that the firm believed “Guy Ritchie is the man to be entrusted with the Bond franchise, although Bond by Quentin Tarantino would make interesting viewing.”
Mendes voluntarily stepped away from the Bond series on Thursday, telling Empire that he did not accept “Michael and Barbara’s very generous offer to direct the next Bond movie.”
“Directing Skyfall was one of the best experiences of my professional life, but I have theatre and other commitments, including productions of Charlie And The Chocolate Factory and King Lear , that need my complete focus over the next year and beyond,” Mendes said.
It’s easy to see how Bond fans could be disappointed with the American Beauty filmmaker’s decision to step away from 007 and the James Bond director chair.
In December 2012, Skyfall crossed the $1 billion worldwide box office mark . The critic aggregation service Rotten Tomatoes also shows that the latest in the long-running series of films is also one of the best-reviewed at 92% .
William Hill noted that other (lesser) possibilities for taking over the franchise include Martin Campbell ( Casino Royale ) at 9-1, Ang Lee ( Life of Pi ) at 25-1, and Ridley Scott ( Prometheus ), also at 25-1.
In the “snowball’s chance” department, the firm forecast Tim Burton’s odds at 50-1.
Do you think the next James Bond director should be Guy Ritchie, one of the other choices above, or a newcomer?