The hottest trend in Hollywood lately? Actresses saying they wanna be the next James Bond. Gillian Anderson, Priyanka Chopra, and Emilia Clarke have all made headlines in the past week or so with their interest in playing the British Secret Service Agent.
A woman taking on the role of 007 doesn”t seem likely. But what”s more likely is a woman”s name on the director”s chair on the next James Bond set.
Susanne Bier is reportedly on the shortlist for the directing gig for the follow-up to Spectre. Radio Times is reporting that Bier is among a “handful” of names being considered for the job by longtime Bond producer Barbara Broccoli.
It”s early yet in the process of finding the director who will inherit the franchise from Sam Mendes. “Shortlist” though it may be called, Broccoli and co. are probably considering lots of names right now. When HitFix reached out to Bier”s representation about this, “She would be honored to be on that list if it”s true,” was their response.
But if things progress to the point where Sony is talking to Bier about the gig, and if she did get the job, it would be a welcome shake-up to the status quo. Men have been at the helm of every James Bond movie. If we want to see something fresh from the film series that”s over 50 years old and over 20 installments in, having a feminine mind leading the project might be the way to do that.
Copenhagen-born Bier already has a critically acclaimed spy thriller under her belt with BBC mini-series The Night Manager. So this puts a reunion for Bier and her Night Manager star within the realm of possibility – the latest on Tom Hiddleston”s possible involvement in the franchise is that he”s in “advanced talks” to be the next Bond.
If Sony booked her for the James Bond gig, that would be two 007 directors in a row coming to the gig with an Academy Award on their resume – Bier directed the Foreign Language Oscar-winning film In a Better World.
Bier recently criticized Hollywood for excluding “talented women,” saying, “If film continues to not reflect the diversity of society, movies as an art form will die out.”
You can watch HitFix“s discussion with Bier about The Night Manager in the video below.