7. Sam Mendes As Director
Sam Mendes is confirmed to be returning to direct the still unnamed Bond 24. Along with Craig's involvement as Bond, Mendes' return as director is a clear opportunity for continued success with the franchise. Asked of his own opinion as to how he would make Skyfall, especially given the divide of opinions among Bond fans as to what constitutes a great Bond film, Mendes offered: "Everybody has an opinion, and they're all different. Literally, on one day someone said to me, 'God, I hope you put some humour into this.' Then, half-an-hour later someone said, 'Oh, it's so much better now they're not trying to be funny.' These are friends and acquaintances. Then others say, 'Oh, please can it not be so violent,' or, 'You've got to put more explosions in there!'" It's easy to appreciate Mendes' sensibilities about directing Skyfall because he clearly respects both sides of the Bond tradition. While he comes down decidedly on one of these sides, he acknowledges that the Bond franchise is a multi-layered and multi-audience undertaking. In the same interview, Mendes said offered, "So, for me the job was: find a story for Bond, and then find a way to marry that with the necessities of the franchise, which is a different thing." Mendes' success in Skyfall is found in his ability to reference the franchise in interesting but not overtly obvious ways (see Creative Re-envisioning and Less Reflexive and Less Nostalgic below) and his consideration of Bond (and M's) obsolescence and associated psychological issues as underlying themes. This latter theme is reminiscent of the scenario of agent Frank Horrigan (played by Clint Eastwood) in In the Line of Fire, but Mendes delivers it in a more compelling and believable manner. We do know that Mendes is set to direct Bond 24. The only question is whether or not he will stick to this "blended" approach to the Bond franchise or if he will add even more of his own unique directorial touches that shine so greatly in Revolutionary Road.
Scott A. Lukas
Contributor
Scott A. Lukas has taught anthropology and sociology Lake Tahoe Community College for sixteen years and in 2013 was Visiting Professor of American Studies at the Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz, Germany. He has been recognized with the McGraw-Hill Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching of Anthropology by the American Anthropological Association (2005), the California Hayward Award for Excellence in Education (2003), and a Sierra Arts Foundation Artist Grant Program Award in Literary–Professional (2009). In 2006, he was a nominee to the California Community College Board of Governors. He is the author/editor of The Immersive Worlds Handbook (2012), Theme Park (2008), The Themed Space: Locating Culture, Nature, and Self (2007), Fear, Cultural Anxiety, and Transformation: Horror, Science Fiction, and Fantasy Films Remade, (co-edited with John Marmysz, 2009), Recent Developments in Criminological Theory (co-edited with Stuart Henry, 2009), and Strategies in Teaching Anthropology (2010). His book Theme Park was recently translated into Arabic. He appeared in the documentary The Nature of Existence and has provided interviews for To the Best of Our Knowledge, The Huffington Post UK, The Daily Beast, The Washington Post, and Caravan (India).
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