Sam Mendes Will Return To James Bond At Some Point, Says Producer

Producer Barbara Broccoli is still hoping that Skyfall director Sam Mendes will return to the James Bond franchise at some point down the road.

The director famously took himself out of the running for the next installment of the franchise last year. Although he’s clearly interested in stepping away from the series for the time being, Broccoli said she is certain he will return for a sequel down the road.

“We will get him back. We haven’t given up hope. Maybe not for the next one … but we will get him back again,” Broccoli said.

Fellow producer Michael G. Wilson is also hoping Mendes will return for another James Bond adventure.

“We are working on him. We hope that maybe he will have gotten inspired to come back,” he said.

Sam Mendes said prior to the theatrical release of Skyfall that he had no interest in working on another James Bond movie. According to the filmmaker, he was “completely exhausted” after his stint on the action flick.

The director explained:

“I felt like everything I wanted to 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 project.”

It’s currently unclear who will tackle the next installment of the James Bond series. A report earlier this month suggested that Guy Ritchie might take over for Mendes on the follow-up.

However, the Sherlock Holmes director’s recent commitment to The Man from U.N.C.L.E. adaptation starring Tom Cruise may toss a wrench in those plans.

Sam Mendes is currently working on the series Penny Dreadful for Showtime. The story follows the adventures of several horror-based literary characters as they “become embroiled in Victorian London.” Mendes will team with Skyfall co-writer John Logan on the project.

Are you a fan of Sam Mendes? Do you think the director will eventually return to the James Bond franchise?

[Image via Piotr Zajac / Shutterstock.com]