Danny expresses regret over sudden 'James Bond' exit

Director Danny Boyle has revealed the one regret he has after quitting the James Bond franchise in 2018. The “28 Years Later” creator and his collaborator, the writer John Hodge, were due to complete work on Daniel Craig's final stint as the British spy in the 25th film in the series based on Ian Fleming's novels.

However, the pair dropped out of production mid-way through the movie, citing "creative differences". As speculation surrounding Craig's replacement continues to ramp up, Boyle was asked if it could signal his return to the franchise. "That ship has sailed," he told Business Insider.

"The thing I regret about that is the script was really good. John Hodge is a wonderful writer." Hodge is one of Boyle's closest collaborators. The pair worked together on “Trainspotting “(1996), “The Beach” (2000) and “Shallow Grave” (1994).

"I don't think they appreciated how good that script was, and because they didn't, we moved on, and that's the way it should be," he explained. Eventually Cary Joji Fukunaga (Beasts of No Nation; Maniac) took over as director, with 2021's “No Time to Die” serving as Craig's swansong as Bond. In an interview with Esquire in 2022, Boyle shed light on what the unseen script had envisaged for the film. "Weirdly — it would have been very topical now — it was all set in Russia, which is of course where Bond came from, out of the Cold War," he said at the time.

"It was set in present-day Russia and went back to his origins, and they just lost, what's the word... they just lost confidence in it." Boyle added that, despite the producers thinking they want something original, they "don't really want" anything that is too untraditional. Boyle previously told The Independent of the Bond saga: "We just fell out about the way the script was going. I think that obviously, being as they are, they want it their way and normally a director would accept that and go along with it.

"But I have this relationship with my writer [John Hodge] that's quite intense, passionate and loyal and I would not change him - precisely because I really liked what he was doing. Our idea was good, but they didn't think so." Casting rumours have circulated ever since Craig — the longest-running actor to ever play the super spy — announced he would be retiring from the franchise.

A number of actors have been reportedly in the running to replace him in the iconic role, including Bridget Jones star Leo Woodall, Luther actor Idris Elba, Happy Valley's James Norton,Venom star Tom Hardy, and rumoured favourite, Aaron Taylor-Johnson. In February, it was announced that Amazon MGM had taken full creative control of the Bond franchise after striking a deal with long-time producers Michael G Wilson and Barbara Broccoli.

The duo remain co-owners of the franchise, but the business decision leaves creative control of future James Bond productions in the hands of American-owned Amazon, prompting concern from fans over potential changes to the beloved franchise. In March, Pierce Brosnan weighed in on the speculation that the role could go to a non-British actor. Brosnan, who played 007 in four films between 1995 and 2002, insisted that it was a "given" that the next actor to play Bond should be British. For more than 30 years, in flashy, generally two-hour-long increments, Danny has made Britain seem like the coolest place in the world. His Britain is one of beautiful movie stars, pop-music montages and frenetic style.