Director Danny Boyle departs James Bond over 'creative differences'

That's a shame. Danny Boyle is a great director.

The producers just want the franchise to rumble on as it is. Which is a shame, as Boyle is a director with vision.

There's talk of Chris Nolan but I can't see him doing it. He'd do a fantastic job but the producers seemingly don't want any risk taking and Nolan's not one to compromise.

but the producers seemingly don't want any risk taking

In this case, I'm OK with that. Some movie franchises (Star Wars, for example) feel the need to re-invent the wheel with each new iteration. I think that 007 doesn't need to do that, and wouldn't be wise to. Bond movies are rather formulaic, and that's what makes audiences keep coming back. Flirting with Moneypenny, meeting Q to get his newest gadgets, a slick car, a slick tux, the same drink prepared the same way, a self-introduction done the same way, the gorgeous woman, the dangerous villain, the quips, the gun. That's what Bond is all about, and the dedicated audience enjoys the comfort of those expected elements. If you get a visionary coming in with a fresh new spin on everything...ehhhh. For a lot of franchises? Yes. But not for Bond.

So, I'd very much be in favor of the producers minimizing risk in this case.

So you didn’t watch any of the other Bond films before Daniel Craig? They reinvent with almost every actor change.

So you didn’t watch any of the other Bond films before Daniel Craig? They reinvent with almost every actor change.

I've watched all of them, and the list of elements that I mentioned above have very little, if any, deviation from film to film or generation to generation. Why would they? They're based on the same source material.

Aye, the Bond movies which tried to shoehorn popular movie trends in them are the ones which are horribly dated and considered some of the worst in the franchise. Live and Let Die with blacksploitation, Man with the Golden Gun with kung fu, Moonraker with sci-fi, License to Kill with the Miami Vice-style cops vs. druglords, and Die Another Day with the "xxxtreme" action hero. Bond works well when he's being Bond and not trying to turn the hero into something he's not.

But that's the point. There is no 'one formula' for Bond. They are all based on the same character, but the films style varies all over the place. Camp, action, drama, sci-fi. They've never played it safe.