Sam Mendes has claimed that studio executives behind the James Bond franchise want directors “who are more controllable”.

The British director, who helmed the 2012 Bond movie Skyfall and the 2015 follow-up Spectre, told Inverse that studio executives want to find a less established filmmaker that they can control.

“They don’t want people who have a big track record,” he said. “They want slightly more malleable people who are earlier in their career who perhaps are going to use it as a stepping stone, and who are more controllable by the studio.”

The Revolutionary Road director made the admission as he explained why he probably wouldn’t return to the franchise for a third outing.

“Never say never, to quote the man, but I would doubt it,” Mendes shared. “It was very good for me at that moment in my life. I felt like it shot me out of some old habits. It made me think on a bigger scale. It made me use different parts of my brain. You have to have a lot of energy.”

He also reflected on the filmmaking experience, noting that Bond directors have to come in and work with an already established team instead of developing the project from the ground up.

“You’re so used as a director to being the initiator, being the person who’s there on the ground floor,” he added. “To walk in and to have an actor who’s played the role twice before and knows it better than you do, and people who know the world better than you do, you have to try and play catch up. That’s a very odd place to put yourself as a director.”

The most recent film, 2021’s No Time to Die, was originally due to be directed by Danny Boyle. After he dropped out due to creative differences, he was replaced by Cary Joji Fukunaga.

The film marked Daniel Craig’s final outing as the famed spy.

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