As Sony/Columbia continues to look for a director for the upcoming James Bond 24 film, Sam Mendes has stated that the thought of a second installment makes him physically ill.
In a recent interview with The Guardian, the Oscar-winning helmer stated that the thought of directing another Bond movie was psychologically unnecessary. He stated "Was I willing to go back into a room with a writer and start work on the same set of characters and the same scenarios as I've been working on for the last three years? The idea made me physically ill."
Mendes also admitted that he was not afraid to disappoint Bond fans and stated, "I say to them, my life is not a democracy. It's not up for discussion'. What? Maybe I should go to one of the [Bond] chat threads and change my mind? I don't think that's going to happen."
During the interview Mendes also spoke about his divorce to Kate Winslet and stated "I have intense admiration for Kate - how she coped with it, and still does. Better than i did. I didn't like it." He added that the Bond movie also had some influences from that relationship. He said "Under the surface of the movie is a meditation on ageing and loss, and England. And what it is to be English and does that mean anything now?" It is the story, as he puts it "of someone who disappears for a while, and comes back to England to find everything has changed, but everything is basically the same. And that was basically what I was going through."
Mendes is currently directing a staged version of "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" which opens in May at the West End Theater. He has not announced his next film project but he will next direct the TV series "Penny Dreadful."
James Bond 24 is currently in pre-production with Daniel Craig slated to return as Bond. John Logan is currently writing the new script.