S. J. Clarkson In Line To Be First Female Director Of James Bond

Every new instalment in the James Bond series is greeted with a whole raft of rumours.

Everything from who will play the man himself - those Idris Elba rumours just won't go away - to the Bond Girls, the gadgets, the cars, the plot, the villains... and of course, the director.

Well, this next Bond might have something that no previous film has had - a female director. The woman in question is S. J. Clarkson, who is, according to Hollywood insiders, on a three-person shortlist for the gig.

Toast director Clarkson is on the list to replace Danny Boyle alongside Bart Layton and Yann Demange and is more than a fair shout to find herself in the director's chair by the time that filming starts.

Reuters

She certainly has the chops: her record includes plenty of thrilling TV shows, from British hits such as Life on Mars, Collateral, Hustle and Whitechapel to American favourites House, The Bridge, Dexter and Bates Motel.

Clarkson is also slated to direct the next Star Trek film, which shows that Hollywood studios are not lacking confidence in her ability to transition to the big screen.

Diversity in cinema, particularly in behind-the-camera roles, has been brought into the spotlight as part of the #MeToo movement and there have been widespread calls for more women and people of colour to get creative positions in Hollywood.

Reuters

The other two names on the list also boast significant track records to back up their bids for the director's role.

French director Yann Demange was in contention for the last Bond film before the producers eventually settled on Danny Boyle, and has already shown his prowess in the action genre with war movie '71.

The third potential choice is Bart Layton, a documentary filmmaker by trade who impressed with his first dramatic feature, American Animals, earlier in the year.

James Bond

According to Variety, Demange has already met with production staff and impressed them enough to make the shortlist, while appointments are yet to take place between the studios and Clarkson and Layton.

The next Bond film is slated to be released at the end of next year. It has already been announced that it will be Daniel Craig's final performance as 007, with the British star calling it a day after his 5th film as Bond.

He will finish as the third most prolific Bond, behind Sean Connery with six appearances in the role and Roger Moore with seven.

Topics: James Bond

Mike Wood

Mike Meehall Wood is a freelance journalist and translator. He writes for LADbible, VICE and countless sports publications, focusing on rugby league, football and boxing. He is a graduate of Leeds University and maintains a fizzy pop obsession. Contact Mike at [email protected]