Bond 24 Wishlist: 10 Things That Must Happen

6. David Arnold As Composer

David Arnold is, like the gun barrel sequence, something of an institution in the James Bond mythos. He's composed the scores for 5 straight Bond flicks: Tomorrow Never Dies, The World Is Not Enough, Die Another Day, Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace, though because of Mendes' previous working relationship with Thomas Newman, he opted to side with personal familiarity rather than franchise tradition for Skyfall. Newman did a splendid job on the film, no question, though it still left us pining for that distinctive Arnold sound. Even purists would be hard-pressed to groan if, as is likely, Newman is again offered to compose Bond 24, but we'd be lying if part of us didn't want a scheduling conflict to arise so that Arnold could get another chance in a saddle. He proved in Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace that his musical stylings fit in perfectly with the new Bond, so there's no question of a problematic tonal clash: Mendes just prefers working with who he knows, and that's understandable. Still, we're rooting for Arnold.