We reported earlier this week that Sam Mendes stepped out of the race The Hunger Games director race – and how this could indicate the next Bond film is back on track. Now new reports say Mendes adaptation of the Ian McEwan novel, On Chesil Beach, has been postponed, bolstering the likelihood Bond 23 is in the works.
However, Commanderbond says it’s not the impending Bond pre-production, but anxious investors that are causing the hold up for On Chesil Beach. Mendes‘ last three films (Away We Go, Revolutionary Road, and Jarhead) all fared poorly at the box office, despite critical acclaim, leaving investors hesitant to sign on to ’60s love story.
On Chesil Beach was intended to be a project Mendes could “squeeze in”, while waiting the Bond to get greenlit. Never Let Me Go stars Carey Mulligan and Andrew Garfield were Mendes‘ preferred leads, but with their stars on the rise and film’s delay, it’s hard to say if the project will take shape at all – much less in it’s early intended form.
A spokesperson for Mendes‘ company, Neal Street Productions, has not spoken to the Bond rumors or financial failings, but has said:
“It has been postponed. It all happened very quickly. Pre-production work over-ran. There need to be leaves on the trees.”
Russ Fischer of /Film points out this is a strange explanation as Beach was announced back in June, and was intended as a “quick feature,” it seems an unusually long period for pre-production.
With so many possibilities – why do you think On Chesil Beach is being shelved?