Direct me: James Bond

In theaters Friday: Admission, Olympus Has Fallen

New on Blu-ray: The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, Rust and Bone, Zero Dark Thirty

Director Sam Mendes has just helped James Bond celebrate his 50th anniversary in style, earn a couple Oscar wins and three additional nominations, introduce 007’s most memorable foe in decades—Javier Bardem’s wicked Silva—and set firmly in place Daniel Craig & Co. for future, full-throttled episodes. And he’s not doing it again.

Last week Mendes admitted that though it was a difficult decision, he will be directing plays in the near future instead of returning to direct the next Bond flick, tentatively slated to shoot later this year with a target 2014 release. So who would you like to see enlist in her Majesty’s Secret Service? Below are my choices, listed, in my opinion, most likely to least:

If English director Matthew Vaughn had not made his thrilling 2004 gangster noir Layer Cake that introduced the world to a pistol-toting, cool-blooded Daniel Craig, the actor likely never would have been cast as James Bond a year later. Since then, the director brought everyone’s favorite mutants to the 1960s, imbuing the X-Men with a measure of mid century, Connery-level cool, and after stalling as an also-ran for the new Star Wars gig that went to J.J. Abrams, he is definitely available.

The reason Mendes got the Bond gig in the first place is because Craig had worked with him years ago on Road to Perdition, and when the production on Skyfall was stalling, Craig straight up offered him the job at a cocktail party. Craig starred in Favreau’s Cowboys & Aliens in 2011, and the one-time Swinger star turned Iron Man director still does not have another directorial effort slated as a follow-up. Could Craig recruit to “Favs” like he did Mendes? If he wants to—absolutely.

Everyone’s salivating—still—over Fincher’s innovative Netflix series House of Cards, but if the director is looking to jump back into feature filmmaking after budget slashing seems to have crippled the chances he’ll direct Dragon Tattoo sequel The Girl Who Played with Fire, it’s hard to imagine another project that would fit his aesthetic better than the Bond forged by his Dragon Tattoo star Craig ever since 2006’s Casino Royale. As a filmmaker, Fincher is considered as high-brow as they come, but a number of his pictures contain dark elements of violence and unspeakable corruption. He may like doing 50, 80 or 100 takes of some scenes, but he likes to get his hands dirty, just like 007.

Here’s an imaginative and singular director who finds himself in a precarious position. He’s just released his first bona fide misfire, the critical and commercial failure Killing Me Softly. Dominick is certainly a talent, but after his Brad Pitt-starring gangster drama flopped on arrival, he’s lost the clout a true auteur needs to keep producing his own original films. What better way to get back in the game than by bringing his brooding, shadowed style to the world’s most famous super spy? 

Many dismissed 2009’s Quantum of Solace as an awkwardly paced Jason Bourne rip-off. Well, if the on-the-run style of the Bourne series is going to be a future inspiration for the modern Bond, why not go straight to the source. Paul Greengrass is a talented Englishman who knows how to shoot action and sustain suspense. But please Paul, if you take the job, leave your shaky-cam at home. 

Mendes was the first director of real prestige in decades to tackle Bond. Perhaps other top tier filmmakers will follow suit? Few directors have had the critical and box office success in the past decade that The Dark Knight creator Christopher Nolan has. And for a guy who rarely reveals details about future projects, current movies, or anything in particular, Nolan has talked an awful lot about how much he was inspired by James Bond growing up and would be very interested in directing his own entry in the storied series. The final third of Inception was practically a mini-Bond movie all its own. Nolan has his own sci-fi epic Interstellar on tap for 2014, so his involvement in the spy game might have to wait a few years; but, hint, hint, when the smartest and best looking girl in class goes on and on about wanting a date to the dance, you don’t quibble over details, you just ask her.