James Bond has been one of the most talked-about franchises recently for the simple reason that, while we know a new Bond movie is coming, we know almost nothing about it. One thing that we do know is that Denis Villeneuve will direct the film, and former Bond director Martin Campbell has some advice for the man who will launch the next era of Bond.

30 years ago, Martin Campbell directed Pierce Brosnan’s first film as James Bond, Goldeneye, and years later, he would again launch a new Bond when Daniel Craig took over the role for Casino Royale. Speaking with Gold Derby Campbell has simple (though expletive-ridden) advice for Villeneuve, saying basically, “don’t overthink it.” Campbell said…

As different as Goldeneye and Casino Royale are in many respects, there’s no question that they are both James Bond movies. And it’s likely that underlying quality that Campbell is talking about when he says “don’t break what isn’t broken.” There’s a core formula to what makes a Bond movie that clearly works, and trying to be too radical with your interpretation runs a risk.

This also seems to be what Campbell means when he says the next Bond doesn’t need to be a reboot. There’s no need to start this new Bond era with something drastically different. Although from a plot standpoint, the next Bond actually will need to be some sort of reboot; the last James Bond died.

This detail has reportedly been something of a problem for new franchise owners Amazon MGM as they attempt to get the new era of Bond going. It seems that the fact that Bond died in the last movie is being seen as a difficult hurdle to overcome, although most audiences, when given a James Bond movie, will likely simply enjoy a James Bond movie.

Denis Villeneuve’s abilities as a director are not in question. He’s made numerous great films, and is in the middle of completing a trilogy of three of the most intensely produced science fiction movies ever made. Still, we don’t really know what a 007 movie under Villeneuve will look like.

Reports are that a new Bond movie will focus on the youngest Bond we’ve seen on screen. Beyond that, we’ll likely have to wait for a script to be completed before the real search for the next James Bond can truly begin.

Consider what I’m about to discuss a friendly reminder that no, James Bond will not be returning on the roster of 2025 movies. And if veteran franchise director Martin Campbell’s assumptions are correct, the wait for James Bond 26 is still pretty long. In fact, if his recent remarks are any indication, we might see 007 break his personal best for longest cinematic absence since the fall of the Berlin Wall. But believe it or not, there’s a glimmer of hope contained in this storm of speculation.

Bond 26 May Break The Record For Longest 007 Wait, According To Martin Campbell

Speaking with Men’s Journal on behalf of his new Daisy Ridley-starring actioner Cleaner, talks naturally turned to whether or not the director that helped reinvent Commander Bond twice would want to take a third spin of the wheel.

Putting that question on the table saw Mr. Campbell, the helmer of 1995’s Goldeneye and 2006’s Casino Royale, make a prediction for when we might see the 26th cinematic outing. And as you’ll read below, it only partially connects to the reported drama between Amazon-MGM Studios and EON Productions:

We’re way past “shaken, not stirred” territory here. In fact, if you’ll allow me a punny reference to break up the mood, Martin Campbell’s claims hit like a Thunderball to the hearts of 007 fans. Should his prediction be correct, the follow up to 2021’s No Time to Die will presumably arrive in theaters in 2027 or 2028. So on the longer end of that timeframe, we’d see the record held by the delay between 1989’s License to Kill and 1995’s Goldeneye bested by about a year.

The supposed reasons for the hold up seem to come from two sources, with the most obvious being producer Barbara Broccoli’s supposed feud with her studio partner. However, “that legal thing” mentioned by The Mask of Zorro helmer is a pretty huge hurdle to cross now, as it challenges James Bond’s UK/Europe copyright.

Even if the reported bad blood between Amazon-MGM and EON isn’t an issue, this potential court battle could keep that delay going. That may not feel like a doorway to optimism on the subject, but as some of you may now, I'm not exactly a traditional person.

James Bond Will (Not) Return Through Streaming

One of the other huge reasons for the potential conflicts raging behind the scenes has centered around the subject of Bond 26’s potential tone. Amazon-MGM Studios is allegedly looking for something that’s meme-friendly, which feels adjacent to another pain point: whether or not 007 should remain a solely theatrical franchise or if there’s room for streaming projects to expand the IP.

This is where Martin Campbell is more optimistic, as he reinforced the party line at EON Productions thusly:

I not only agree with the remarks above from the No Escape director, I think he’s a rare party outside of the halls of EON to have enough authority to comment. Campbell introduced the world to Pierce Brosnan and Daniel Craig’s variations on 007, and did so with debuts that are still heralded as some of the best in the series.

Understanding both what makes an interesting James Bond adventure, as well as EON Productions’ laws of the land, Martin Campbell could very easily jump on board for Bond 26's directing duties. After reading how he's handled this question in the press, I couldn't think of a better choice to hit the ground running with... whenever that greenlight is finally given.

Superhero movies area powerful force in the entertainment industry, but they haven't all been winners. One somewhat infamous entry within the genre was Martin Campbell's Green Lantern (which is streaming with a Max subscription). The filmmaker recently shared one big way he could have improved the blockbuster, and he's not wrong (in my opinion).

Fans who spent years watching the DC movies in order will remember Ryan Reynolds' short tenure as the Green Lantern before he pivoted to Marvel for the Deadpool franchise (streaming with a Disney+ subscription). The movie failed to impress, but it's director spoke to ComicBook about about one key way it could have improved: letting Reynolds work on the script. As he put it:

Honestly, this really could have worked in my opinion. Green Lantern was a pretty standard action movie, but lacked both the comedic chops and the emotional core that has made the Deadpool franchise such a success. If Reynolds had a bit more creative control of the 2011 blockbuster, perhaps the two projects would have felt more similar.

Of course, the lack of R-rated humor wasn't the only issue that Green Lantern had going against it when it hit theaters over a decade ago. The main issue is arguably that the story simply wasn't all that compelling. Instead it felt like the movie was a paint-by-numbers superhero origin story. And relying on visual effects offered a challenge for the movie's action sequences.

With this in mind, fans are definitely curious about how the Green Lantern Corps. will be tackled in the upcoming DC movies and TV shows. The first slate of projects, titled Gods and Monsters, offers a number of opportunities for GLs to join the fray. That includes the cast of James Gunn's Superman, with Nathan Fillion playing Lantern bad boy Guy Gardner. There's also a Lanterns TV show in the works.

Ryan Reynolds got to find his superhero home as Deadpool, but he definitely gave a spirited performance in Green Lantern. He's made countless jokes about that ill-fated DC movie over the years, including Deadpool 2's wild credits sequence. In this time-traveling scene, Wade Wilson goes back in time to kill Ryan Reynolds before he can sign on to play Hal Jordan.

Following Deadpool 3, fans are wondering which upcoming Marvel movies Ryan Reynolds might pop up in next, with the most popular fan theory being Avengers: Doomsday. We'll just have to wait for more information about what comes next for both him and the Green Lantern franchise.

The last James Bond movie took a step that no previous film had made before when it actually went and killed off Daniel Craig’s Bond. It raises some potentially interesting questions regarding where the franchise will go from here, but director Martin Campbell, who has reinvented Bond not once but twice, says the simple fact that we know the franchise will continue means Bond’s death isn’t that big a deal.

While the Vegas odds on the next James Bond seem to be changing regularly if you’re going to put money down on who will direct the next installment of the James Bond franchise, you may want to bet on Martin Campbell, who directed the first installments for both Pierce Brosnan and Daniel Craig. If he does happen to direct the next James Bond film and launches the franchise for a new actor, he tells Express that Craig’s on-screen death is not an issue. Because the next movie will simply ignore it and move on and nobody is going to care. He explained…

Campbell is almost certainly correct. The James Bond franchise has been going on for so long, with so many different actors playing the lead role, that audiences are almost certainly not going to have an issue with just seeing one more. The fact that the character died previously shouldn’t be much of a stumbling block. Daniel Craig’s version of the character was also given a basic origin story as well, something we hadn’t seen previously, so his bond was seemingly always designed to be its own thing.

The next Bond could certainly get his own origin movie to help separate things from the Craig years, making it clear this is a new character, but I’m not sure even that is particularly necessary. If they decide to hit the ground running with a new James Bond adventure that assumes audiences are familiar with the character, there’s no reason anybody should balk at it, because audiences are absolutely familiar with the character. It may seem weird if you sit down to watch the James Bond movies in order, for Bond to die and then simply be alive again with no explanation, but if the movie is good, people will not care much. 

We’re still waiting for the news regarding who the new James Bond will be. While it seems all but certain James Bond will remain a man, the character could still undergo a lot of other changes depending on who is chosen. Every day is one step closer to that announcement

A pattern emerges when you take a look at the villains of the James Bond movies in order. It’s something that even Casino Royale director Martin Campbell noticed, which is part of why there’s such a gap in installments helmed by his steady hand. The character of Le Chiffre certainly differs from previous Bond villains, and actor Mads Mikkelsen recently shared some good reasons why that’s true, even with a classic touch that Campbell insisted on with his sinister gambler.

During a GQ video interview, the Danish actor, who can currently be seen in Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, made a strong case for why the main antagonist in the 21st 007 adventure isn’t on the same wavelength as Auric Goldfinger or even Raoul Silva. The key to being so different from his baddie brethren is in the stakes, as Mikklesen described Le Chiffre as follows: 

Casino Royale sets this perception up perfectly, as when Le Chiffre is asked if he believes in God, he substitutes that deity for another power he holds near and dear: “a reasonable rate of return.” This financial terrorist doesn't want to rule the world, and he's not totally focused on shaking up the order of power either. So long as he makes a killing on his investments, he's happy to leave the rough stuff to other, more interested parties. 

Mads Mikklesen sets the character up so perfectly with his delivery, and as we see throughout the first of Daniel Craig’s James Bond movies, his actions are mostly dictated by his financial motivations. It’s only when Commander Bond start to interfere that the Quantum/SPECTRE agent literally wants to bust his balls.

Even that enterprise led to Mikkelsen and Daniel Craig dreaming up brutal tortures that director Martin Campbell had to walk his leads back on. Still, as Mads revealed in this interview, Campbell was all about pushing the boundaries of what Bond films could do. It’s the attitude that led the Goldeneye director to turn down several 007 films before Casino Royale came around with a fresh take on hero and villain alike. 

That didn’t stop Martin Campbell from wanting to add a touch of classic Bond villainy to Le Chiffre’s character. That's where the weeping of blood from an eye disfigurement came into play. As Mads Mikkelsen revealed earlier in this interview, that decision came from this franchise tradition that his director was looking to uphold: 

Blending the traditional with the unconventional, Casino Royale’s villain was still very much a part of revitalizing the James Bond formula for the modern era. While the tradition Martin Campbell chose to include with Le Chiffre is one of the more controversial aspects of the series at large, Mads Mikkelsen’s performance definitely made him a figure to remember.

Those of you looking to be dealt into Casino Royale are in luck, as a Max subscription is all you’ll need to live on the edge of the card table with James Bond himself. Otherwise, Mads Mikkelsen fans can see him playing the villain in Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, which is currently showing in theaters.

The history of the James Bond movies has been both a past and present concern for Henry Cavill, as he’s been one of the hottest tipped candidates for the role for two cycles now. Casino Royale director Martin Campbell’s reason for not casting Cavill was simply that the Witcher star just looked too young for the part. In revisiting that story for a recent event, Campbell has now expanded upon it to explain why one of the most popular potential 007s has had really tough luck when trying to land the role.

Casino Royale’s Casting Process, And Why Henry Cavill Lost Out

As he was present at this year’s London Action Festival (via Express), Martin Campbell once again addressed the fact that Henry Cavill was one of the eight actors screen tested to be the sixth James Bond. Reflecting on that Casino Royale audition once more, Campbell had this to say:

With the 00-Cavill hype train gaining steam yet again during the waning years of Daniel Craig’s James Bond movies, this story has come up time and again in the press. Longtime Bond casting director Debbie McWilliams also confirmed Henry’s youthful disadvantage, which apparently isn’t a problem anymore. Sadly, it feels that the polar opposite scenario is in play now, with Henry Cavill seeming to have a new stumbling block.

How Casting The Next James Bond Doesn’t Favor Henry Cavill, According To Martin Campbell

Age is always a factor in the 007 saga, as being too young or too old are equally weighted problems. Henry Cavill now sees himself seemingly outside the 30-something age range that the series is currently considering. Beginning to lay out why this is a problem, Martin Campbell dug back into the histories of the two Bonds he’s worked with, Daniel Craig and Pierce Brosnan, to craft this scenario: 

All signs seem to point at EON Productions aiming for a long haul 007 that can bring the series back to a more regular release schedule. So just the right amount of youth is key, while also being mindful of how hopefuls like Henry Cavill, who just turned 40 this year, lost out on Casino Royale. Further invoking his example above, Martin Campbell concluded his argument against Cavill’s chances with this statement:

Cavill’s feelings on potentially playing James Bond take this reality into account, but if called upon, the man sounds absolutely up for the job. At this point, it’s still a question of what path the next 007 adventure will be, as producer Barbara Broccoli herself recently said that without a script, casting can’t really begin. 

Between that concern, as well as the ongoing writer’s strike, the intended 2024 production of Bond 26 might find itself delayed to an uncertain extent. Fans who want to see Henry Cavill as James Bond will have to temper their expectations, as the odds certainly look to be in question. That doesn’t mean that Cavill’s exploits in espionage aren’t still a going concern thanks to his Apple original film Argylle being slated on the schedule of 2024 new movie releases for a February 2nd release date. 

Reintroducing the world of James Bond movies isn’t the easiest job in the world, despite the fact that director Martin Campbell has done it twice and made it look so damned good. Through his efforts in the making of Casino Royale, Campbell helped reinvent 007 with Daniel Craig’s blunt instrument restarting the entire continuity. 

Eva Green’s performance as Bond woman Vesper Lynd was just as essential, as the women that would be paired up with Commander Bond after her departure would also change. 16 years later, the pair are about to team up once more, and Green has one particular reason that she’s scared to tackle her next film Dirty Angels alongside Martin Campbell.

When I spoke with Green for her upcoming horror film Nocebo, she clued me into the project’s existence, as well as her excitement to be working with Campbell yet again. The reason that she’s scared to dive into Dirty Angels is nothing sinister, but something that many an actor has had to face at one point or another. Here’s what Eva Green told CinemaBlend when it became to why this next film is such a fearsome prospect: 

Considering all of the challenges that an actor could be afraid of, nailing an American accent is both not that horrific and obvious fodder for anxiety. However, when talking about reuniting with Martin Campbell for the first time since the film that kicked off Daniel Craig’s 007 era, Eva Green couldn’t be happier. Adding a musical flourish when mentioning how they were about to be “rrre-u-nited,” her excitement was voiced clearly and infectiously.

Turning back to those accent concerns though, it’s an interesting fear to hear from Eva Green. Looking at her experiences with Casino Royale and even Nocebo pushing those respective performances into some harrowing moments, it could be seen as a relatively small concern. Then again, Dirty Angels sounds like it’s going to be an adventure to make, outside of Green’s accented anxiety. 

A project that’s been emerging into the public eye over the past couple of months, the picture just recently landed former Batwoman actor Ruby Rose in its ensemble cast. Per details that came from THR, the movie’s overall story is described as follows:

Dirty Angels isn’t supposed to start production until next month, so there’s plenty of time for Eva Green to nail her American accent. In addition, of course, to whatever other thrills and spills are required in this action extravaganza. Though it might be a good idea for Green to consult with her new co-star, as Ruby Rose has had quite a bit of experience turning her Australian accent into something sounding stateside.

Eva Green fans are in luck, as Nocebo opens in theaters this weekend, which will be followed by its digital and VOD release on November 22nd. After that, the film will head to its streaming home of Shudder at an undetermined point in 2023. Though if you’re primed to revisit Green’s portrayal of Vesper Lynd in Casino Royale, that title is streaming for those with a Netflix subscription, at the time of this publication. 

There was never a question that when it came time for Goldeneye to make its mark on James Bond movies that Pierce Brosnan was going to be the 007 to do it. If the rest of the casting process had run that smoothly, director Martin Campbell would have had things made in the shade. However, this is the Bond franchise, and things don’t always run that smoothly. As it turns out, there was one major Bond Woman that was only cast a week before the 17th James Bond movie started shooting. 

Speaking with Campbell on behalf of his latest film, the Liam Neeson-led thriller Memory, we got to talking about franchise history yet again. With those rumors about Neeson and Brosnan competing properly dispelled, the man who helmed James Bond’s big return in 1995 admitted that the holdout in the casting process was the character of Natalya Simonova. While she was eventually played by actor Izabella Scorupco in Goldeneye, Martin Campbell told CinemaBlend the following story about how that last-minute casting came to be: 

To be fair, when Martin Campbell knows he wants to cast someone, he’s usually pretty quick about it. Even after losing his script for Casino Royale, Mads Mikkelsen’s audition was a fast and funny “welcome aboard” from Campbell. While it may have taken a bit longer than he may have liked, Goldeneye’s steward at the helm found his Natalya, and the Pierce Brosnan era of James Bond was born. 

It’s a casting that worked brilliantly, as Izabella Scorupco and Famke Janssen were both formidable Bond Women that flanked Brosnan’s fresh take on the spy himself. Goldeneye especially used Scorupco’s Natalya to a great effect, as her plot of survival and decrypting a conspiracy she barely survived were just as important as 007’s investigation. Making an effective pair, the eventual romance between James and Natalya was only enhanced by the dramatic chemistry the two shared throughout.

Instinct is what’s led to some not-so-lucky moments in the worlds of James Bond casting, courtesy of Martin Campbell’s exacting hand. It’s part of what helped him decide that Henry Cavill was too inexperienced for Casino Royale’s lead. The power of Campbell work both ways, with his track record of delivering two successful 007 reboots in a row, speaking for themselves. Izabella Scorupco is just one of many examples as to why that happened to be, as well as why it’d probably be a good idea to try and enlist the Goldeneye director into seeing if he can pull off a hat trick. 

Liam Neeson fans can see Martin Campbell’s Memory, which is currently showing in theaters. For all other offerings headed to a theater near you, the slate of upcoming movies is waiting to educate you. 

Now that the era of Daniel Craig has concluded, a new face is needed to represent the future of James Bond movies.  A popular competitor for the role yet again is actor Henry Cavill, a second timer who’s actually auditioned for the part in 2006’s Casino Royale. Though the Witcher star himself had a story about why he thinks he got passed over, and director Martin Campbell has gone on record with what he feels is the real reason for this missed connection.

Previously, an infamous story about how Cavill was told he was apparently too chubby to play James Bond had made the rounds. While there was no mention of that incident in particular, I did ask Campbell what he’s though of Henry as an actor after their previous meeting. During our interview on the press day for Memory, Martin Campbell told CinemaBlend a different story, which started with the reason why Henry Cavill apparently didn’t make the cut:

Reading what Martin Campbell said above, it sounds like he was on the same wavelength as producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson when it came to casting the sixth James Bond. The producers at EON Productions who oversee the Bond legacy, their thoughts were that Daniel Craig was a leading man just waiting for the right opportunity. Even with initial reticence, Casino Royale’s helmer saw the sense, and Craig’s era had officially began with the bang it needed.

The director of both Goldeneye and Casino Royale, Campbell has without question established himself as a trusted participant in the 007 franchise. Constantly invited to return through Pierce Brosnan’s era, his instincts were to reject such a notion until Daniel Craig’s first outing. When we previously spoke in an interview, Martin Campbell gave very specific reasons for why he skipped the rest of the Brosnan movies, which only further highlighted his instincts. 

No matter if either or both stories given for Henry Cavill’s failure to snag Casino Royale’s lead are true, the methodology at work is solid. Martin Campbell is a James Bond fan, with From Russia with Love being his favorite film in the franchise. Tending to favor the more serious and action-packed Bond over, as he once put it, films that continued to “blow up another control room,” it’s that attitude that made Daniel Craig’s 2006 introduction in the role all the more memorable.

Admittedly with Casino Royale celebrating its 15th anniversary last year, some time has passed between Henry Cavill’s fateful audition among seven other hopefuls. Though the search for the new James Bond happening in its own time, the actor continues to show a strong presence in the betting odds. Martin Campbell’s further praise of Cavill, both in his audition and his current career, might just boost those odds even more, as he said the following:

The world of 007 fans are currently in the dark as to when and where James Bond will return, and who will be playing the part. In recent remarks it sounds like that search isn’t as near as we previously thought, thanks to Barbara Broccoli stating that “it’s going to take some time.” While there’s always a chance he might return in the director’s chair, Martin Campbell might be the person to consult on who should be the next Bond. Reintroducing Ian Fleming’s literary superspy to the world twice, and with impressive results each time, has only proven that very few know Bond better than Campbell himself.

For now, if you happen to be a fan of Martin Campbell and/or Liam Neeson, those two forces have collided in the form of their latest film, Memory. You can currently catch that film in a theater near you, should you be curious. However, there’s plenty of other upcoming movies you’re probably interested in checking out, so don’t forget to do your research before heading out into the field. Last, but not least, you can revisit Daniel Craig's Casino Royale, as at the time of this writing the film is available to stream on Netflix. 

Over the years, superhero fans have seen a number of lackluster comic book adaptations, but one movie that arguably lives in infamy more so than others is 2011’s Green Lantern. The Ryan Reynolds-led flick is considered by many to be one of the genre’s poorest offerings, something that Reynolds accepts and frequently jokes about. While the star pokes fun whenever he gets the chance, it’s not often that we hear from the man who directed the flick, Martin Campbell. And just recently, the filmmaker opened up about whether he’d ever return to the world of cinematic, costumed do-gooders.

It’s honestly somewhat hard to believe that it’s been over a decade since Ryan Reynolds donned that green, CGI suit. Martin Campbell hasn’t directed a comic book movie since, having opted for action thrillers like Jackie Chan’s The Foreigner and his most recent effort, the Liam Neeson-headed Memory. So what does the 78-year-old director think about dabbling in the superhero realm once more? Well, it seems he’s not too keen on diving back in:

So if you were hoping the Casino Royale helmer would take another swing at it, then his comments to Screen Rant are sure to disappoint. One can understand his feelings, though. His DC flick was panned by both fans and critics and it also failed to make much noise at the box office. You have to give the man credit for knowing when something just isn’t his forte. 

Ryan Reynolds has had quite a bit of fun at the flick’s expense over the years. At one point, he and co-star Taika Waititi even went as far as to humorously disown their former on-screen team-up. Last year, Reynolds took things to the next level by donning some Aviation Gin and doing a rewatch and sharing some A+ tweets in the process. 

While the movie continues to be the source of jokes now, there are certainly reasons to be grateful for it. For instance, the minds behind HBO Max’s upcoming Green Lantern show are learning from its creative mistakes. And believe it or not, Ryan Reynolds’ performance in it would later influence his work in Deadpool. So there are a few silver linings to be found. 

But if you ask Martin Campbell, he’d probably say the biggest bright spot is that it taught him that superhero movies are not in his wheelhouse.

Martin Campbell’s Memory is now playing in theaters and those who have HBO Max subscriptions can stream Green Lantern, if they dare.

On the surface, you wouldn’t be mistaken for assuming that director Martin Campbell’s latest film Memory is another entry into the canon of upcoming Liam Neeson movies. Featuring the man himself playing a hitman with a mental degenerative disease, there’s explosions, well executed hits, and intense phone calls included throughout the film. All of those are staples of the Neeson action canon, but despite the presence of such elements, both the actor and his director provided interesting thoughts on whether Memory counts in the genre that Neeson just can't seem to quit.

I learned this personally, as I was able to speak with both Liam Neeson and Martin Campbell on behalf of Memory’s press day. While discussing the ins and outs of things like the portrayal of mental degeneration in Neeson’s character, Alex Lewis, it felt like a good time to also ask if this very psychological film could be considered an “action movie.” In Neeson’s opinion the answer is yes, and he clarified why when speaking to CinemaBlend: 

To the actor who’s been kicking ass since the surprise success of 2008’s Taken, the formula that Memory uses to entertain its audience fits the bill alongside that his previous forays. The argument could go either way, as even the trailer itself shows Liam Neeson’s Alex Lewis stealthily taking bad guys out during innocuous events like an early morning exercise. Adding an exploding car set-piece, as well as several mysterious phone calls to a local detective played by Guy Pearce, and loyal fans might tell you that it’s an experience comparable to one of Neeson’s best films. 

Yet the reasons that Neeson cites as giving Memory those “extra layers” he was excited to dive into overlap with director Martin Campbell’s opinion on the matter. For him, his follow-up to the definitely action heavy The Protegé differs from his opinion of just what a Liam Neeson Action Movie contains. Asking him the same question, the director gave me the following answer:

Despite the slight disconnect on whether or not Memory is an action movie, Martin Campbell and Liam Neeson both agreed that the challenge of depicting Alzheimers on screen was part of what made this film special no matter what. Campbell even seems to think that it’s part of why Neeson took the role in the first place, as he also told me that the vulnerability of the character seemed to be a determining factor for their teaming.

The collaboration between actor and director helped fine tune Alex Lewis’s affliction and how it was shown in Memory. Further elaborating on the research he’d done for the film, Liam Neeson laid out the process he engaged in with his director to make sure Alex was on the level with reality: 

Personally, I’m not certain that this movie belongs under the label of a Liam Neeson Action Movie. I’d previously laid out some of the reasons why in our official review for Memory, and after speaking to Neeson and Martin Campbell, I’m more on the side of the director’s view of the movie. At the same time, I can see where the argument isn't as clear cut as some would think, and ultimately audiences will have to decide whether Memory fits that bill, or not. 

Should you be interested to take part in the conversation, Memory is currently showing exclusively in theaters. If you want to see what’s coming down the road to a moviehouse near you, the schedule of 2022 movie releases is available to answer those very questions. 

With the debut of 2008’s Taken, Liam Neeson ushered in an era when he became primarily known in Hollywood as an action lead. Throughout his cinematic output since that fateful hit, the concept of a “Liam Neeson Action Movie” has endured for almost two decades, with some entries faring better than others. In director Martin Campbell’s Memory, the latest entry in that canon, Neeson still gets to take down villains with explosions and a particular set of weapons. However, this time out, there’s added textures that separate this movie from a run of the mill entry. The result is a solid mystery thriller that gives both Neeson’s acting and action muscles a workout.

A remake inspired by 2003’s Belgian thriller The Alzheimer Case, the story follows hitman Alex Lewis (Liam Neeson). His talents are top notch, despite the fact that a progressing degenerative disorder is robbing him of his mental abilities – but time is clearly running out. After the fallout of a failed hit starts to unravel a web of conspiracy involving a powerful business figure (Monica Bellucci), Alex takes matters into his own hands and starts cleaning up the Texas underworld. With an embittered detective (Guy Pearce) working parallel to his efforts, Alex is trying to make things right before it’s too late. 

Taking the basic synopsis of Memory at face value, it’s definitely something we’re used to seeing Liam Neeson doing on a regular basis. Cars are blown up, seedy thugs are dispatched in efficient manners, and Neeson’s Alex Lewis is killing his way to the top. The full experience that the film delivers isn’t merely satisfied to focus merely on those marketable bullet points, as Memory feels closer in thematic spirit to an episode of Law and Order: SVU than a stock action/revenge thriller.

Despite looking like a “Liam Neeson Action Movie,” Memory mostly trades in procedural and psychological drama.

Comparing Memory to network crime procedurals isn’t a knock against writer Dario Scardapane’s adapted screenplay. At the same time, it does highlight the limitations of what’s ultimately delivered, as the scope is rather scaled back from what some may expect for a “Liam Neeson Action Movie.” 

Memory splits its time between two different prongs attacking the same threat – which makes Guy Pearce and Liam Neeson co-leads in the hero department. While Neeson gets to carry out more of the action that lies outside of the law, Pearce’s character, Vincent, is more bound to the rules. We see both the detective work Vincent and his team put into solving Memory’s overall conspiracy, and the more fiery wrath that Alex Lewis' side brings to the table.

Even in Liam Neeson’s portion of the story, it’s not merely set-pieces lined up with filler dialogue along the way. Rather, Memory shows Alex Lewis’ mental degeneration, and the problems that arise as a result. At one point, we see him watching the morning news, questioning whether or not a murder that took place the night before was something that he committed himself.

Liam Neeson delivers one of his most vulnerable performances, while still hitting those intimidating notes.

After getting used to seeing Liam Neeson as the man with “a particular set of skills,” Memory lets him kick ass while also questioning if he’s kicking the right ass, or if he’s even kicked it at all. This sort of change up is exactly what the doctor ordered, melding the man’s action chops with the dramatic talents he’s honed in legendary fashion in the past. Neither half of the Liam Neeson acting machine is neglected, which is only a benefit to his co-stars.

There’s one scene in particular that really shows off how well Memory plays its lead actor against his co-stars: during a tense and crucial exchange between Alex and Vincent in the third act, Liam Neeson and Guy Pearce have a rare face-to-face moment. It results in an extremely vulnerable moment for Alex, which Liam Neeson plays to perfection. While they don’t share the screen often in the majority of Memory, Neeson and Pearce’s brief moments together are quite effective.

Feeding the fans wanting to see the Liam Neeson they’ve come to know in recent years, Memory doesn’t let audiences forget the Neeson who rose through the ranks in prestige dramas. The resulting film feels like a bit of an upping of the stakes for the actor’s future filmography, as it’s proven yet again that there’s more to Liam Neeson than shooting and crashing.

Memory is one of the better entries in Neeson’s recent work, proving that he should team up with Martin Campbell more often.

While it’s not as loaded with spectacle as films like The Ice Road or Honest Thief, Memory seems to have traded that in for being a quieter, more introspective thriller. That trade off is more than welcome, with more of Liam Neeson’s acting skills being allowed to take center stage. It’s not a pulse pounding, thrill-a-minute adventure, but Martin Campbell’s film uses moments like those to enhance the slower, more methodical story at play.

Such a concept could either turn off Liam Neeson’s loyal fanbase, or bring them out in droves. It’s fair to say that Memory is a bit of a prototype that could be fleshed out to a greater degree in future projects. That being said, the movie you see before you is a step in the right direction for the star, as it’s a move away from other recent stories that have leaned too heavily on the actor’s action pedigree, only to completely ignore his natural charm and relatability.

Time and again, Liam Neeson has debated whether or not to retire from action movies, in the name of blazing trails in either drama, comedy or romantic films. Memory is an encouraging sign that should he continue down the road he’s currently on, there’s plenty of entertainment ahead. All that has to happen is for the right script to come along that balances Action Neeson with Dramatic Neeson, and the results will speak for themselves.

When Martin Campbell re-enlisted into the James Bond franchise with Casino Royale, he came aboard at just the right time. Signing on as the film’s director in February 2005, Campbell would be part of the eventual apparatus that would cast Daniel Craig as the sixth actor to play James Bond in the official franchise. While the rumor mill was spinning out of control, with as many names as possible in contention, Martin Campbell only ever screen tested eight people for the position.

This piece of information was provided during our conversation while Mr. Campbell was promoting his work on The Protégé. However, when looking back on the film and TV director’s resume, something interesting came up. As it turns out, Martin Campbell had directed a previous candidate for the role of James Bond back in the ‘80s, as his work on the miniseries Reilly, Ace of Spies saw him teamed with future Jurassic Park star Sam Neill. When I asked Campbell if he had any particular feelings about his former collaborator missing out on the 007 mantle, this was his response:

On the one hand, Martin Campbell swearing himself to secrecy about who he tested for Casino Royale’s lead is a bummer. However, looking back at news reports, we can say that there’s at least half of those names that could be confirmed, if not heavily implied. Starting with the obvious, we know that Daniel Craig screen tested, and despite Campbell having reservations about his casting, he landed the role.

That being said, three other names came up in contemporary reporting from Variety (via The BBC), which came at the end of Casino Royale’s big screen tests. Alongside Craig’s eventually winning bid, Man of Steel’s Henry Cavill, ER’s Goran Visnjic and Avatar’s Sam Worthington all emerged as the supposed finalists in the James Bond olympics. And that’s not counting the other names that were heavily rumored, like Hugh Jackman and Ewan McGregor.

But when it came to Sam Neill’s screen test for The Living Daylights, Martin Campbell wouldn’t see the results until years down the line. Strangely enough, the Goldeneye director probably saw that footage the same way the general public did. Which, as you’ll see below, is quite a rarity:

If you were hoping that maybe, somewhere on the internet, you’d be able to find Henry Cavill or Goran Visnjic’s auditions for Casino Royale, I’m afraid that’s not the case. Unless the EON Productions team decides they want to release that footage as a DVD extra, much like they eventually did with Sam Neill, that footage is probably going to be locked in the company’s vault. As we head into No Time To Die’s promotional window, all we know at this time is that the results spoke for themselves. Daniel Craig reinvented James Bond for a modern era, Martin Campbell was there to help him do it and the world of 007 will never be the same again.

No Time To Die caps off the Daniel Craig era of James Bond on either September 30 or October 8, depending on whether you’re a UK or US moviegoer. And don’t forget to checkout Martin Campbell’s The Protégé, as it’s currently in theaters. Though if you’re nostalgic for all things Craig and want a little more of a taste from what No Time To Die has to offer, you’re in luck. Check out the documentary Being James Bond: The Daniel Craig Story, which is currently available as a free rental on Apple TV+, and you can see some behind the scenes footage of this historic occasion being made.

Bringing a modern James Bond to the big screen is a daunting enough task for a director like Martin Campbell to do once. Yet the New Zealand director not only delivered the goods with 1995’s Goldeneye, but also in 2006 with Casino Royale. Apparently, resurrection is a hobby of Mr. Campbell’s, and the fact that he turned down every Pierce Brosnan sequel after that initial turn only proves it.

As it turns out, the pre-determined path of 007 was exactly what pushed the helmer off of returning for another Brosnan-era entry. Which was only revealed after Martin Campbell had told me during our talk for The Protégé that he’d been offered the director’s chair for each film. It was a prospect that didn’t hold much sway with Campbell, with his official reasons why aligning perfectly with what he feels makes the James Bond franchise so special:

While there’s definitely a debate over how the rest of Pierce Brosnan’s James Bond tenure ranks, Martin Campbell has the formula dead to rights in that description. From Tomorrow Never Dies, straight through to Die Another Day, there’s a moment in each film where the primary villain is overseeing some sort of action in a control room. Elliot Carver, Elektra King, and Gustav Graves all get their chances to show their more devious sides, complete with huge screens and important looking readouts.

Hearing Martin Campbell talk about what appeals to him in the James Bond series, the man is definitely not one to just settle into a formula he’d already played around with in Goldeneye. While the ensuing Brosnan era films still differ through the presence of interesting characters and various motivations pushing the villains through their evil schemes, things did spin quite out of hand by the time the 40th anniversary came along in 2002. Die Another Day’s infamy would prove to be the key to Campbell’s big return, as explained below:

After the rights to the long sought after Casino Royale landed in the hands of EON Productions, Martin Campbell found his door darkened yet again with an offer. With a brand new Bond in Daniel Craig, and a soft reboot approach taken when executing the story, the ingredients were there to lure Campbell into kicking off another era of 007 films. One that, while he hasn’t returned to the director’s chair since, Campbell has enjoyed to varying degrees. For the record, the man loved Skyfall, but Quantum of Solace and Spectre were disappointments in his eyes.

Of course with Daniel Craig’s departure, there’s a question of whether or not Martin Campbell would come back and kick off another epoch in James Bond cinema. He’s definitely discussed the possibility in the past, and it almost feels like a safe bet to reenlist his skills to keep Bond 26 as grounded as Goldeneye once did. Though at the moment, the hunt for a director doesn’t sound like a going concern. Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson are still, officially, focusing on No Time To Die’s promotional machine.

That leg of the journey comes to the beginning of the end on September 30th, when No Time To Die debuts in UK cinemas. Though US audiences will have to wait a little longer, as the film will hit their shores on October 8th. And if you want to check out Martin Campbell’s latest film, The Protégé, it's currently showing only in theaters.

While Casino Royale director Martin Campbell may not have initially believed in Daniel Craig as James Bond, he eventually came around to praising the instincts of EON Productions producer Barbara Broccoli. Though one wouldn’t fault Campbell’s initial reticence, especially when he has such a clear-cut vision of what Bond was supposed to look and act like, much like the rest of the Bond fandom had come to expect. So it makes perfect sense that the man who also brought the world Pierce Brosnan’s Bond in Goldeneye tends to favor the more grounded entries in the series. Nowhere is this more felt in his admission that From Russia With Love is his favorite James Bond film out of the lot.

Speaking with Martin Campbell on behalf of his recent action film The Protégé, we continued to discuss the 007 legacy at length. During a Reddit AMA that Campbell had done in the days leading up to our interview, the director admitted that Sean Connery’s second entry as James Bond is the gold standard. This is pretty much sacred ground when speaking with someone who shares an affinity for the cinematic franchise that’s been running for almost six decades now. Campbell admitted the following reasons for holding that film above all the other James Bond films:

Looking back at the Sean Connery era that kicked off the James Bond film franchise, the formula that Martin Campbell lamented above didn’t really start to take hold until 1964’s Goldfinger. With Auric Goldfinger being the first over-the-top villain, complete with a plot to irradiate the gold of Fort Knox with a dirty bomb, the series started to take its larger steps into the over-the-top gamesmanship that would eventually end with 2002’s Die Another Day. Though throughout the succeeding runs of Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton and Pierce Brosnan, there were films that hewed closer to the seriousness that From Russia With Love exuded.

Even George Lazenby’s solo outing On Her Majesty’s Secret Service started the path that would eventually lead to Casino Royale’s big moment in the sun. And after rejecting several offers to return to the world of Bond, the 2006 soft reboot was Martin Campbell’s big opportunity to do two things he enjoys within the franchise. Campbell not only reintroduced James Bond in a fresh context for the modern age, he did so so in a movie that was as grounded as his favorite 007 film of all time.

The way that Martin Campbell talks about From Russia With Love, you can sort of see the flourishes in his James Bond entries that map up to what he loves about the second 007 film ever. While there are control rooms linked to the Goldeneye satellite itself, and Sean Bean’s Alec Trevalyan definitely qualifies as a James Bond madman, those aspects don’t rain on the parade of realism Campbell injected into the film. And the rivalry between Pierce Brosnan’s James Bond and his former MI6 compatriot was a far cry from what would come after, and what had come before. Plus, Famke Janssen's Xenia Onatopp is definitely a deranged secondary villain that aligns with Lotte Lenya's ruthless nature.

And, of course, Daniel Craig’s monumental reboot of Bond in Casino Royale saw perhaps the most serious shock to the system in the then-44 year history of the franchise. Which saw the particular Martin Campbell returning to the fold for his own personal reasons. Though there were ample opportunities for the man to step back into the director’s chair, Casino Royale presented something that appealed to Campbell’s love of films From Russia With Love; and the rest was history.

The James Bond franchise sees Daniel Craig’s tenure heading to an action-packed climax in No Time To Die, which will be released only in theaters this fall. September 30 is the UK’s opening date, while October 8 sees US audiences getting their turn in the hot seat. After the continual delays in releasing the 25th 007 adventure into theaters, that extra week is nothing to sneeze at, but also an eternity.

To audiences far and wide, and especially in the final month leading to the release of No Time To Die, Daniel Craig is James Bond. By the time his successor is eventually named, the British actor will have played the character for almost two decades, with five feature films to his credit. But back when Casino Royale was looking for the man to replace previous Bond Pierce Brosnan, Craig’s casting left a large portion of the 007 fandom with intense reservations. And one of those fans was the once and future director that would reintroduce the world to Bond, Martin Campbell.

During the promotion of his latest film, the Maggie Q action thriller The Protégé, I had the honor of speaking with Mr. Campbell on behalf of that work in particular. But when you’re sitting down with the man who helped update the James Bond franchise twice over, it’s too tempting of a prospect to not discuss the progress of this worldwide cultural touchstone. And as part of that conversation, Martin Campbell revealed not only his reservations about Daniel Craig’s initial casting, he also gave massive credit to the 007 decision maker who really believed in his potential from square one:

Run by the children of original James Bond producer Albert R. Broccoli, affectionately known to some as simply “Cubby,” EON Productions is the center of the James Bond universe. With Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson acting as the stewards of the Bond franchise, their say is final on everything from product placement to casting decisions. Taking the reins fully after their father’s passing in 1996, Broccoli and Wilson had already been working in the realm of 007 since the ‘70s.

By the time Die Another Day was released in 2002, the James Bond series was 40 years old, with Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson having been a part of it for almost three whole decades. And at that point, it was decided that a change was to be made, resulting in that fateful phone call where then James Bond actor Pierce Brosnan was let go. The path to the future was cleared for Daniel Craig, who would be announced as the next James Bond on October 14, 2005.

Martin Campbell wasn’t in the minority with his reservations on his Casino Royale leading man. Brought onto the project in February 2005, Campbell would see several up and coming actors for the role, including one Henry Cavill. But eventually, Daniel Craig was selected, prompting headlines such as, “The name’s Bland, James Bland.” Explaining his eventual conversion, Campbell cited his own image of James Bond, and how Craig eventually fit the bill in his own mind:

Again, while Martin Campbell wasn’t totally sold on Daniel Craig at the beginning of their Casino Royale journey, it wasn’t for the wrong reasons. For 20 films, the character had seen Sean Connery introducing the world to a womanizer with ice in his veins, and from that point on the continuity ran pretty loose, yet connected. We saw James Bond engage in tragedies, both romantic and tonal, and by time Pierce Brosnan got the role, a mixture of tragic romance and pithy double entendre made up the character’s basic makeup.

Undoubtedly, the decision to make Casino Royale a soft reboot of the Bond franchise necessitated hiring someone like Daniel Craig. If the 21st film in the line was to be a fresh start, the powers that be couldn’t simply go on casting someone that fit the traditional mold described by Martin Campbell. In a way, breaking from the expectations of the public, as well as Campbell himself, was the only way to give 007 the new lease on life he would eventually find.

When Casino Royale got underway, which at the time was the only original Ian Flemming novel to have not been adapted into an official EON Productions film, James Bond found himself rebooted into the modern context we know of today. Starting fresh with his first mission after attaining 00-agent status, Daniel Craig and Martin Campbell were given a chance to redefine what type of man Bond really was. Maintaining a lifestyle where the finer points of luxury intersected with a world where “life is gone with just a spin of a wheel,” Craig’s version of the character was the most lethal in some time.

Out of a very competitive field that saw numerous leading men attached to its prospects, Daniel Craig won the day to become James Bond because Barbara Broccoli truly believed in his talents. Martin Campbell eventually caught onto those feelings, and saw himself becoming a true believer as well. And ultimately, the rest of the world would mostly jump onto that bandwagon as well, installing the Craig era as a cornerstone to why James Bond is still licensed to kill to this very day.

The clock continues to tick down to No Time To Die, which will be released on September 30th in the UK and October 8th in the US. So if you want to get reacquainted with Daniel Craig’s previous James Bond films, you’ve still got time. And if you’re looking to reflect on Casino Royale, prior to its 15th anniversary this November, keep an eye out for more to come from this interview with Martin Campbell.

In an era when everything seems to be a sequel or a spinoff, it's a welcome break to find any major release that looks to be something fresh and new – and on the surface, Martin Campell's The Protégé would seem to be exactly that. It's a non-franchise action flick with an Asian female lead, something we certainly don't see a lot of. Unfortunately, the star is ultimately just about the only thing that feels fresh and new in the movie, and while her performance is worthy of a major Hollywood feature, it's not enough to save the film from feeling like something we've actually seen too many times before.

The movie begins in 1991, finding professional hired killer Moody (Samuel L. Jackson) in Vietnam when he comes across a grisly scene. Several men have been brutally killed, and the only survivor is a young girl found hiding in a cupboard holding a gun. Exactly what's happened here is far from clear, but Moody decides to take the young girl in, and 30 years later Anna (Maggie Q) has grown to be quite the accomplished killer herself. Working alongside her surrogate father, the two make a deadly pair, making millions for contract hit work – but don't worry, they only kill the bad guys.

On the night of Moody's 70th birthday, he asks Anna to track down somebody for him, allowing her to exercise one of the particular skills she's honed over the years. Things go wrong when the inquiries set off alarm bells and a hit squad goes after the protagonists. Anna goes on a hunt for vengeance, but first she must figure out who is after her and why – a quest that will force her to return to Vietnam and put her on a collision course with Rembrandt (Michael Keaton), a man in the employ of whoever it is that's trying to kill her, and who plans to stop her... even if he also finds her quite attractive.

Maggie Q is an excellent action lead.

It's been a decade since Maggie Q was the lead in the Nikita television series, and while the parallels between that story and this one are obvious, what's also still very obvious is that she is an excellent action lead that Hollywood slept on far too often. The simple fact that The Protégé is a movie that puts an Asian woman in place as the primary hero is a move worthy of support and acclaim and the actress does not disappoint. The action of The Protégé is by far the highlight of the film.

It's not stylized or particularly creative in its choreography, but it has a brutal, visceral feel that we don't see often – and we see even less when women are involved. The action scenes are at least something you can follow thanks to solid cinematography, which is more than can be said for some other recent theatrical action films.

Maggie Q is so good that that it elevates one's expectations, but for the most part The Protégé fails to deliver. Samuel L. Jackson and Michael Keaton are both solid in their supporting roles – nobody feels like they're phoning it in – but Jackson's mentor/father figure and his relationship with our heroine isn't given much development on screen, and Keaton's "villain" is given even less. It makes it difficult to invest in them, which means that the moments in the movie which are supposed be of heightened emotion fall flat.

The Protégé tries to build mystery and suspense where none needs to exist.

In many ways The Protégé has trouble settling on what kind of movie it wants to be. While the action scenes are solid, I would hesitate to use the phrase "action movie" as its genre, as the movie goes long stretches between its action beats to focus on the drama of the mystery as Anna attempts to figure out just who tried to kill her and why. However, the suspense of the mystery also gets lost in the mix. This isn't a whodunit where there are clues for the audience to pick up on and figure out. We simply follow Anna on her journey, which would be fine if the movie didn't seem to want to make the mystery a bigger deal than it actually is.

We always know less than the characters do, sometimes awkwardly so. Eventually Anna finds out the what and the why of everything, but the film decides to continue to keep the audience in the dark for no reason whatsoever. There's no grand twist that is wafting to drop that requires so much dragging out, and the solution isn't particularly hard to figure out. If the audience had learned the details at the same point Anna did. it wouldn't have changed anything, but The Protégé just decides to keep its secret a while longer. However, since the characters know all the answers, when the audience finally learns them there's no release of that tension on screen, making the moment mean nothing.

There are also some strange tone shifts. Most of the action sequences are bloody and violent. They're perfect if you like your action of the "dark and gritty" variety. But one sequence between Maggie Q and Michael Keaton is played for laughs, and while the two characters have plenty of humorous banter throughout the film, the fight scene feels out of place, like it belongs in a different movie.

In the end, The Protégé just feels like a missed opportunity.

There a bunch of silly nitpicks one can make, such as in moments where the professional assassin forgets to check behind the door for the person trying to kill her (because the script requires it). These aren't the symptoms of a bad movie so much as they are the symptoms of a movie that just hasn't engaged you, allowing you to see the smaller problems.

Of all the movies to see a theatrical only release in 2021, The Protégé is arguably one of the more unusual. In another era this is the sort of movie that might find an audience through endless replaying on cable TV. Today it's the movie that casual fans might decide to give a look if it popped up on their streaming service of choice as a recommendation. Many will probably enjoy it well enough when that day comes. It doesn't require much heavy lifting from the audience, and it's enjoyable enough while you're watching it. It's just not the movie does anything particularly special, and perhaps it could have been.

As one of the longest-running movie franchises, James Bond has been through many upheavals since the days of Sean Connery. It’s just part of the course for a new Bond to come along every few years. And that has never been clearer as No Time to Die is only weeks away from being released. With the film serving as Daniel Craig’s swan song, talks of who will replace him have accelerated over the past year. There have been many opinions on rumored frontrunners, but Casino Royale director Martin Campbell spoke up about finding Craig’s replacement.

There’s so much that goes into finding the next James Bond. Having directed Daniel Craig in a Bond film, Martin Campbell knows the ins and outs of the historic franchise. So if anyone knows about the pressure of making a flashy Bond introduction, it’s Campbell. The Casino Royale director gave some insight into a typical Bond cycle.

As Campbell explained, there are generally long stretches between Bond films. So, it allows Eon Productions and Universal Pictures to find the best candidate. This is what happened when Daniel Craig took over from Pierce Brosnan as cinema’s most suave spy. Given the delays associated with No Time to Die, it seemed to have complicated the search for a new Bond. 007 fans can expect sometime before Craig’s replacement is announced.

Given the pandemic, Martin Campbell seemed to be warning fans about the long wait. Campbell told ComicBook the nature of James Bond cycles dictates how long the search will be. The Protégé director said about the entire process of producing another Bond film:

With every switch from one Bond to another, there is an awkward period where fans and moviegoers wonder and cast who the next James Bond. Given the acclaim Daniel Craig received during his tenure, the next actor will have some big shoes to fill. So it will presumably be some time before a new Bond will be announced given current circumstances. Until a new Bond comes along, you can check out Daniel Craig’s final bow No Time to Die when it arrives in theaters on Oct. 8.

No Time To Die, the final James Bond film starring Daniel Craig, is gearing back up for its release after numerous delays due to the global pandemic and has shared some thrilling new footage. The 6th Craig Bond film has been described as a perfect bookend to the story that started with Casino Royale in 2006. Casino Royale was the perfect starting point for Craig as James Bond and set a strong base for the movies that would follow. Could Casino Royale’s director helm another Bond movie following No Time To Die?

Martin Campbell, director of Goldeneye starring Pierce Brosnan and Casino Royale, recently did a Reddit AMA where he answered various questions from fans. Campbell kicked off a new series of Bond movies with Daniel Craig, and was asked if he would ever consider doing another Bond movie. Campbell answered honestly, saying:

Martin Campbell says he loves the franchise and would, of course, be interested in returning. The director got to work with two different Bonds in Pierce Brosnan and Daniel Craig, and if he were to return to the franchise, he would be working with a new James Bond once again. Casino Royale was the perfect introduction for Craig’s Bond and is still one of the most beloved of the Craig Bond movies. If it has anything over the other films, it's the brutal and infamous scene that featured a naked Daniel Craig that everyone remembers vividly.

Martin Campbell is promoting his new film The Protégé, an upcoming action spy thriller the director is adept at making, starring Maggie Q, Samuel L. Jackson, and Michael Keaton. Campbell’s mark on the Bond franchise can’t be understated, and it will be exciting to see if he ever returns to direct a new Bond film with a brand new actor playing James Bond.

The Daniel Craig Bond films have largely been critically acclaimed. Even those that miss the mark are still redeemable and worth revisiting, especially Spectre, which has gotten a bad rep but I feel might be better than you think. The Craig Bond films have an incredible and in-depth story weaved throughout the franchise since Casino Royale, and No Time To Die is set to bring it to a satisfying close.

The first of the Daniel Craig Bond movies, Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace, are still available on Netflix until August 30th, so watch them while you can. No time To Die is set to release in October finally, and after numerous delays, fans will finally be able to see the Daniel Craig send-off.

10 years ago, Green Lantern premiered in theaters, with Ryan Reynolds playing Hal Jordan, the first human member of the Green Lantern Corps. Rather than lunch a popular superhero film series, Green Lantern was met with primarily negative critical reception and underwhelmed at the box office, resulting in plans for a sequel being scrapped and Reynolds frequently mocking the movie in the years since. Now Green Lantern director Martin Campbell has chimed in with his thoughts on the Emerald Knight’s first cinematic outing, as well as DC’s chief competition, Marvel.

As part of the promotional campaign for his new movie The Protégé, Martin Campbell (whose credits also include GoldenEye, The Mask of Zorro and Casino Royale), held a Reddit AMA to answer all sorts of questions. Perhaps inevitably, Green Lantern eventually came up, with Campbell writing the following when asked what was the worst fight he’d ever been in:

Yikes! Apparently during the course of making Green Lantern, Martin Campbell butted heads with Warner Bros executives at least once, if not several times, about what the final product should look like. We’ve seen before with the theatrical cuts of Suicide Squad and Justice League of how studio interference can drastically change and ultimately hinder DC movies, and Green Lantern was dealing with this same kind of problem years earlier. Ryan Reynolds also said back in 2016 that the reason Green Lantern didn’t succeed was it fell victim to the Hollywood process of “poster first, release date second, script last.”

But hey, that was DC. Would Martin Campbell be up for giving superhero movies another go over at Marvel? Definitely not, because when someone asked if there was a genre he hadn’t worked in that he’d love to take a shot at, the filmmaker answered:

Hey, at least the man knows what he wants. Martin Campbell is taking his share of responsibility for how Green Lantern turned out, and he doesn’t want to risk a similar situation happening over at Marvel Studios. I’ll tell you what, if Marvel ever greenlights a Nova movie, considering the similarities between that property and Green Lantern, I’d have been curious to see if Campbell would have had better luck on that project.

Oh, and in case it wasn’t already clear that Martin Campbell had a bad experience working on Green Lantern, he shared this blunt response to someone inquiring about if Green Lantern 2 will happen:

While a sequel to 2011’s Green Lantern has not been in the cards for a long time, especially since Ryan Reynolds has been leaving his stamp on the superhero movie genre in recent years as Deadpool, the Green Lantern property is getting a second shot at live-action redemption on two fronts. A Green Lantern series for HBO Max is on the way that will feature Alan Scott (played by Jeremy Irvine), Guy Gardner (played by Finn Wittrock), Simon Baz and Jessica Cruz, among others. The Green Lantern Corps reboot movie starring a new version of Hal Jordan alongside John Stewart is also still in development, although it’s still unclear if it will be connected to the TV show or not.

As for Martin Campbell, you can see The Protégé in theaters starting August 20, and his next movie lined up is the Liam Neeson and Guy Pearce-led action thriller Memory.

For a James Bond movie that has come to be as revered as Daniel Craig’s Casino Royale has, there’s quite a bit of discussion to be had about how it frames the world of poker. With a professional casino director ripping into how the 007 reboot makes No Limit Texas Hold ‘Em into a more cinematic experience, you’d think the mistakes that this portion of director Martin Campbell’s film holds would be pretty laid bare. However, in a recent interview, Campbell admitted there’s another gaffe that always makes him laugh; and it has to do with a very generous tip on behalf of Mr. Bond.

Speaking with Polygon, Martin Campbell revealed a lot about what went into his second time directing a James Bond refresh, and a good portion of those details came from the poker game between Bond and his adversary, Le Chiffre. Everything from a proposed time lapse sequence that was eventually cut to the casting of actual casino inspector Andreas Daniel was divulged in this recent sit down. Which lead to Campbell showing his hand about just why Casino Royale’s big tipper moment is so funny:

So, after an entire poker game where Daniel Craig’s rookie 00 agent rides a roller coaster of wins and losses against Mads Mikkelsen’s financial terrorist sees Bond come out on top, he casually flips the dealer $500,000 in the blink of an eye. Admittedly, it’s a Casino Royale moment that passes quickly, as the audience is still processing the fact that 007 has broken Le Chiffre, bankrupting his terrorist activities on behalf of the Quantum/SPECTRE organization. Looking at the stacks of plaques and chips that James Bond ends up walking away with, it doesn’t feel like half a million dollars is all that much in the grand scheme of things.

Then again, Casino Royale has an entire section that pins really high stakes on the money that not only Le Chiffre is putting on the table, but the funds that Her Majesty’s Treasury is staking Bond to get into the game. Plus, some of that money does belong to the CIA, as you’ll remember that Jeffrey Wright’s soon to return Felix Leiter is the one that gives James the money to buy back in, after his first crippling loss. Keeping those details in mind, you can see why Martin Campbell laughs at the moment, which occurs at the end of the scene shown below:

In the grand scheme of the story, even Martin Campbell admits that Casino Royale’s costly poker mistake has no bearing towards what happens. Bond tips his dealer generously, gets whipped around a little bit, and ultimately sets off on a quest of heartbroken vengeance just the same. However, it’ll be hard not to look at that moment after learning the facts behind it and have a bit of a laugh ourselves. You can get in on the unintentional laughs by watching Casino Royale, which is currently available for streaming on Netflix, Prime Video, and Hulu.

The pressures of maintaining a screen ready physique can be brutal at times, especially when your lack of physical shape to play James Bond earns a comment from your would-be director. Believe it or not, out of all the people in the world to have that experience, in a role that almost saw actors like Cary Grant and Burt Reynolds cast in its lead, Henry Cavill was once told he was too chubby to play 007.

Revealed in a recent magazine interview that Cavill participated in, the once (and future?) Superman recalled the following details from a meeting with Casino Royale director that didn’t go as well as planned:

Much like Tim McGraw before him, it’s kind of hard to believe that Henry Cavill out of all people would be considered “out of shape.” With so much of his image being defined by roles in the DCEU, The Man From U.N.C.L.E., and most recently Mission: impossible-Fallout, this mountain of a man us hard to imagine outside of his usual regimen.

But, as Cavill admitted in his talk with Men’s Health, he didn’t always look like he was carved out of marble. In fact, if you’re really curious as to how Henry Cavill probably looked around the time he was auditioning for Casino Royale’s big 2006 reboot, we have a reference for you to go by. Take a look at the photo below, from the 2005 direct-to-video spectacle Hellraiser: Hellworld.

It’s hard to tell what’s more jarring: Cavill’s babyface, or the fact that he played “Mike” in a Hellraiser sequel that involved MMORPGs. But, as far as the traditional shape that a James Bond actor is meant to keep in the modern era, it’s definitely a distance from that ideal.

That’s not to say Henry Cavill wouldn’t have been a great James Bond, had he beaten Daniel Craig out for the duties in Martin Campbell’s second time rebooting the 007 franchise. But, if Cavill hadn’t lost that opportunity, he’d have never gotten in shape, and eventually become a DC comics hero and Mission: Impossible villain for the world to drool over.

Luckily, Henry Cavill is totally down to become the next James Bond, especially after his experience in Mission: Impossible – Fallout, should Daniel Craig actually leave the role after No Time To Die. And we’ve got a feeling that like Timothy Dalton and Pierce Brosnan before him, his odds at this particular table game will have skyrocketed in the years after he lost out the first time. After all, it’s not like they can hold a Hellraiser sequel against the man forever; can they?

In the meantime, you can see Henry Cavill enter the world of TV sword and sorcery, as he’s the lead in Netflix’s new show The Witcher, which premieres December 20th. Or, if you want to see him playing one third of the best family of consulting detectives, you can see him as Sherlock Holmes in next year’s Enola Holmes.

While based on a novel that was first published back in 1992, Martin Campbell's The Foreigner certainly shares DNA with Pierre Morel's Taken -- at least from a development strategy standpoint. Both are Europe-set action thrillers featuring an older star as a father looking to get vengeance for a crime against his daughter. Within that ken, it can easily be called derivative, with Jackie Chan taking on the Liam Neeson role, but much like how the first Taken did manage to catch a spark, The Foreigner is actually quite a bit of fun and an above-average bit of cinema.

Adapted by David Marconi, the set-up is certainly familiar, but does try and put its own spin on things. At the outset, Jackie Chan's Quan Ngoc Minh seems like an ordinary man -- a small business owner living in London who is rocked by the death of his daughter in an IRA terrorist attack. Rather than just grieving and hiding from the world, however, he decides to make it his responsibility to find the people responsible. Specifically, he sets his target on Liam Hennessey (Pierce Brosnan), a government official with IRA history, who Quan believes knows who is responsible for the attack.

All while trying to put out political fires and find the identities of the attackers, a frantic Hennessey entirely dismisses Quan... but this turns out to be a massive mistake. As it happens, Quan has a seriously dark past and a military history, two things that drive him to never stop until he accomplishes his goal. Believing that Hennessey's ignorance is fake, he begins to literally terrorize his target with homemade incendiary devices and roadside explosives, forcing expediency in Hennessey's investigation and the revelation of the full truth behind an entire string of London bombings.

The Foreigner tries tremendously hard to try and weave a wicked little web, setting up certain maneuvers within the British government, dealing with the politics of the IRA, and orchestrating mole hunts -- but eventually it can't help but feel weighed down by it all. Truthfully, the movie is at its best when it's keeping things simple, specifically with the game of cat and mouse that plays out between Pierce Brosnan and Jackie Chan. Brosnan is certainly no lightweight, being one of the few men on Earth to play James Bond, but it's impressive fun to watch Chan repeatedly put him on his ass. The gag of Hennessey feeling he's safe only to find Quan laying a bomb/sneaking into his house/fucking up another part of his life gets a lot of mileage over the course of the film, but it also never gets old, and gets a laugh each time.

As such, both Jackie Chan and Pierce Brosnan get a lot of points for really carrying the film, as it's primarily their performances that keep you engaged. Frankly, despite the sympathy generated from the death of his daughter, Quan is hardly a likable character, and puts a lot of innocent people in harm's way -- but he gets a long leash thanks to decades of charming, and charismatic exciting Jackie Chan performances (and it remains as amazing as ever to watch him fight). From a character standpoint, Brosnan is certainly given the more complex, stronger material to work with, and he does a great job selling the politically-minded Hennessey, who is clearly an antagonist, but you're never entirely sure exactly how bad he is.

The Foreigner is at least somewhat welcome if not just for providing an opportunity for Jackie Chan to transition into the next stage of his career, where he can continue being a legitimate action star, albeit with the added hook that he's more than twice as old as your average 30-year-old ass-kicker. Beyond that, however, it's an average movie through and through -- perhaps worth seeing eventually, but with no real rush required.

Director Martin Campbell first entered the world of James Bond in the mid-1990s to helm Goldeneye, the first of Pierce Brosnan's outings as 007. A decade later, Campbell returned to the franchise for Casino Royale, which was not only Daniel Craig's first James Bond adventure, but also served as a reboot of the entire series. So far that marks the end of the director's James Bond contributions, but he is willing to return for a third movie on one condition: if he was working with another new James Bond.

CinemaBlend's own Eric Eisenberg recently sat down with Martin Campbell to talk about his upcoming movie The Foreigner, which reunited him with Pierce Brosnan. When asked if he would ever consider coming back to the James Bond franchise, Campbell expressed ambivalence at the idea given that many of these movies follow the same beats, but if a new actor was wearing the tuxedo and drinking the shaken martinis, that would pique his interest. Here's the full exchange:

Martin Campbell has certainly established himself as the man who is skilled at introducing new James Bonds, as both Goldeneye and Casino Royale were met with largely positive reviews. Considering that 2019's James Bond movie will be the last one to feature Daniel Craig, Campbell may soon find himself with an opportunity to launch yet another era of James Bond adventures. That's not the say that he'll accept the job if approached by whatever studio has James Bond at that point, but at least he's open to the prospect. No doubt whoever is hired as Craig's 007 successor will give Campbell a better idea on whether or not he wants to helm yet another crazy James Bond tale.

You can check out Martin Campbell's The Foreigner, which stars Jackie Chan alongside Pierce Brosnan, in theaters starting October 13. Don't forget to also look through our 2017 movie premiere guide to see what's being released for the remainder of the year.

James Cameron is handing The Dive over to Martin Campbell, award-winning director of multiple James Bond adventures (including the winning franchise reboot Casino Royale) and last summer’s Green Lantern, Deadline reports.

Cameron must be tied up with Titanic 3D or Avatar sequel prep, because Dive sounds like a passion project that would be right in the Oscar-winning director creative wheelhouse. Based on factual events, Dive reportedly tells the story of husband-and-wife free-divers Francisco “Pipin” Ferraras and Audrey Mestre. The two would dive to unimaginable depths on a single breath. But during an effort to break her world record, Audrey lost her life.

Free-divers plunge into the ocean by holding on to weighted sleds. They then race back to the surface with the help of inflated lift bags. Like most extreme sports, it’s considered very dangerous. Cameron has been circling the story for some time now, even shopping a treatment that had Salma Hayek in the Audrey role at one point. Deadline even notes that the Titanic filmmaker recorded a dive Ferraras completed in his wife’s honor. Sounds like Campbell has an emotional ending waiting in the wings, if Cameron permits him to use some of that footage in the finished film.

20th Century Fox will distribute The Dive, with Campbell directing from a screenplay by J. Michael Straczynski (Changling, Underworld: Awakening). The screenwriter will take his cues from Ferraras’ 2004 autobiography The Dive: A Story of Love and Obsession, though it's Campbell’s ability to mine human emotion and Cameron’s cutting-edge techniques for filming underwater that will help sell tickets to this drama, once it finally finds its way to theaters.

Now that Martin Campbell has taken over the reigns of the paranoid thriller Umbra (Joe Carnahan was set to direct but bowed out), the director reportedly has hired frequent colleague Paul Haggis to polish up a script that has passed through several hands on its way to the screen.

Deadline reports that Haggis has been hired to rewrite a story with undertones of Alfred Hitchcock’s finest. It centers on a businessman who receives a mysterious package, only to find himself under investigation as part of a large government conspiracy.

What happened to Carnahan? The Narc director, who has The Grey with Liam Neeson heading to theaters, dropped out of Umbra for personal reasons, according to Deadline’s report, but he left on amicable terms. Campbell’s a fine director, though it’s hard to say who would be better suited for the material until we learn more about the plot or the nuances of characters. Plus, Haggis could come in and rework the script entirely, keeping the barebones of the storyline but changing up expected twists.

I'm excited about the creative collaboration because Haggis and Campbell produced Casino Royale, the best James Bond movie I’ve seen since Sean Connery was in 007’s tuxedo. Yes, I mean that. So while this isn’t a Bond thriller – and Campbell recently helmed the uneven Green Lantern -- the idea of them collaborating on a suspenseful actioner is intriguing, to say the least. We’ll keep an eye on casting news and potential release dates, though it's still very early in the process, and Haggis has Paris on his radar, so stay tuned.

Amazingly enough, in a summer crammed with four separate superhero origin movies, all but one of them managed to become sizable hits. Left on the outside of all that success is poor Green Lantern, the only movie this summer to come from the DC Comics universe and the first desperate attempt from Warner Bros. to get another superhero franchise off the ground with the end of Nolan's Batman run clearly in sight. The movie has made just $154 million worldwide on a budget much larger than that, and yet, Warner Bros. is still committed to making a sequel-- and they may be trying to make it closer to The Dark Knight next time.

Today's Los Angeles Times story has it from several behind-the-scenes sources that not only will director Martin Campbell not be returning for the sequel, but that they'll be trying to make the second film "edgier and darker." Actually, that bit comes from a pretty high-up, on-the-record source-- Warner Bros. President Jeff Robinov. No, really, here's the quote:

"Edgier and darker" were buzzwords thrown around a lot in the wake of The Dark Knight, which reigned for a little while as the biggest movie as all time and still sets the high bar for the cultural importance and critical appeal of any superhero movie. But the same summer that The Dark Knight creamed the box office, Iron Man was another huge and even more surprising success-- and it's that film that set the tone for what came next in the genre. Not only have the most successful superhero movies since then been part of the same Marvel Universe, but that movie's bright, funny optimism has been aped both by the Marvel follow-ups Thor and Captain America and even X-Men: First Class, which gave us mortal enemies Magneto and Professor X in the first blush of friendship.

In the summer of 2008 there seemed to be two ways to go forward with the superhero genre-- dark and brooding and relevant to real life, or bright and poppy and gleefully escapist. The movie industry almost single-handedly decided to go with the latter, so why does Warner Bros. want to turn back the clock now? Sure, they're almost guaranteed to have another enormous hit next summer with The Dark Knight Rises, which should also be dark and edgy and all of that, but do they really think Green Lantern's problem was in not being similar enough to Batman? They've got a movie about a human who joins an intergalactic corps of peacekeepers devoted to the forces of willpower and goodness, and yet, they want him to be more like a tortured billionaire vigilante.

Did Robinov even see his movie and actually try to follow its tangled and dull plot? Does he realize that one of the biggest hits of the summer is Captain America, about another do-gooder fighting crime who doesn't have a single edge to him? I'm guessing the answer to both of those things is "yes," and Robinov is trying to give excuses for how everything is going to be better the second time around, when in fact he's brought back the same team of writers-- Greg Berlanti, Michael Green and Marc Guggenheim-- to try and get a different result. There's a lot that needs fixing in Green Lantern, but nothing that can really be accomplished by simply mimicking the studio's biggest hit.

Director Martin Campbell deserves a lot of credit for the way he re-launched the Bond franchise with Casino Royale. Unfortunately the follow-up, directed by Marc Forster, did a pretty good job of erasing at least some of the good will he earned with his redo. Now that Campbell has a new movie set to hit theaters, in Green Lantern, he’s talking to the press about what Forster did with his franchise on Quantum of Solace, and he doesn’t sound any happier about the results than Bond fans were.

Talking to Crave about the film he says of Quantum of Solace, “Oh, I thought it was lousy.” When asked to explain he added, “I just thought the story was pretty uninteresting. I didn’t think the action was related to the characters. I just thought overall it was a bit of a mess really.”

Yeah, it was kind of a mess. But that’s in the rear view mirror and now Sam Mendes is hard at work on the next James Bond movie. And since we know Campbell is willing to talk straight with us about the nature of these films, his view on what Mendes is up to with the next one is instantly a lot more valid than the usual backslapping, Hollywood doublespeak. Of the next film he says, “hopefully this next one will be terrific. Sam Mendes is directing it and I’m sure it’ll be terrific.”

Green Lantern is inevitably going to have some incredibly amazing visuals that take place on other planet, pushing the limits of CGI, but we must not forget that there is something is some cool stuff taking place on our home planet as well that's made using practical effects. I am, of course, talking about Hector Hammond, who is played by Peter Sarsgaard. Most of the marketing has focused on the outer-worldly elements, including aliens like Tomar-Re, Kilowog and Sinestro, but now Hector has gotten his own poster.

Arriving over on the movie's official Facebook page, I'm not sure if it's the eyes or the half-cocked smile, but this is one seriously creepy poster. Hammond looks like he's filled to the brim with malevolence and it is all together terrifying. Even better, this is before his head balloons up to the size of a football field and transforms him from a normal looking guy into a true monster.

Check out the poster below. Green Lantern arrives in theaters on June 17. For more on the film, be sure to check out our Blend Film Database.

Easily one of the finest actors working today and coming off a performance in The King's Speech that earned him an Oscar nomination, Geoffrey Rush has the power to accept and turn down any project that he chooses. Naturally, then, it was rather surprising when it was reported that Rush would be providing the voice of everyone's favorite Xudarian, Tomar-Re, in this summer's Green Lantern. Wanting to know more about his involvement, I took the opportunity to ask him about how he came to the film while interviewing him one-on-one earlier today.

Starting off, Rush confirmed that he does have an area of expertise in the comic book realm, having been "obsessed" with Superman when he was a kid and what he calls the "Double L Syndrome" (the fact that characters in the Man of Steel's universe, such as Lana Lang, Lois Lane, Lex Luthor and so forth all have L.L. as their initials). When approached by his agent about Green Lantern, however, he confessed to knowing nothing about that part of the DC Comics universe. but was interested and asked to be sent over artwork and the script. Half joking that he was drawn in by the character's oddly-shaped body ("I just identified so heavily with his torso"), Rush also said that he sees the Tomar-Re as an evolution from the animated characters he's voiced previously.

After accepting the gig, Rush then began talking with director Martin Campbell and started his recording sessions (apparently they aren't done yet, as Rush said he just did another one the other day). Just like in the case of many animated films, though, the Australian actor has yet to meet the person with whom he shares a great deal of scenes: Ryan Reynolds. That said, he is in no way concerned about how the chemistry between the two characters will work.

Green Lantern is set to arrive in theaters on June 17, while Geoffrey Rush's next film, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, will be released on May 20. Stay tuned later this month for my full interview!

The Warner Bros. advertising team is working its ass off right now making up for lost time. In the last few months the folks behind Green Lantern have been trying to get the CGI to the point that they can make the film marketable and in recent weeks they've accomplished it. But just like when you un-pinch a hose and all the water shoots out, now that the studio has something to work with they've been releasing images and posters non-stop. Earlier today a banner poster showing off a cross section of the Green Lantern Corps was released and now we have yet another new poster.

Yahoo! has posted yet another new one-sheet from the film, which now makes five in the last week alone. Like the banner from earlier, this particular piece of art work shows off more than just Hal Jordan from Sector 2814 (a.k.a. Earth, for the non-geeks), but only shows off Sinestro, Kilowog, and Tomar-Re, all of whom recently got their own character posters.

Check out the poster below or in high res over on Yahoo!

Just a few minutes ago we posted the first trailer for The Change-Up, which is set to be released on August 5. But before Ryan Reynolds can get drunk, piss in a fountain and switch bodies with Jason Bateman, he's been tasked to be a protector of the galaxy in Green Lantern, and now we have some new shots from the film.

Warner Bros. has sent out three new stills from the DC superhero movie and while they're all basically screenshots from the footage that was show a couple weeks back at WonderCon, that's not stopping them from being extremely cool. In the photos below you will see Hal Jordan (Reynolds) forming a Gatling gun out of green energy, talking with Tomar Re (Geoffrey Rush) and standing in a crowd with other members of the Green Lantern Corps listening to a speech being given by Sinestro (Mark Strong).

Check out the images below and click on them to go high res over on in our Blend Film Database.

In the DC Comics world, Dr. Amanda Waller is a pretty cool character. Known as both an antiheroine and a straight-up villain, she pulls tons of strings in the comic book universe involving superheros despite not having any powers herself. This summer, in the blockbuster Green Lantern, the character will finally be making her live-action debut, and will be played by Angela Bassett. But while Green Lantern doesn't come about until June, Bassett does have a movie coming out next month called Jumping the Broom and while talking with members of the press about the new movie this afternoon I took the opportunity to ask about the part.

"Well, I’m not 300 pounds," Bassett started, referring to the way that the character is drawn in the comics, where she's nicknamed The Wall. Asking about her portrayal of the character in the Martin Campbell-directed movie, she said that she's actually "not heavily involved in the first movie," but does hope that she will develop more in the sequels. That said, in describing the character she nailed more than a few traits, saying that she has "That intellectual, that bright, that no-nonsense, that means business [personality]. [She's] getting it done and in the trenches nothing fazes her."

Much like how Colonel Nick Fury exists in multiple storylines with multiple characters in the Marvel Universe, Dr. Amanda Waller has associated with not only Green Lantern, but with the rest of the Justice League as well. Should Warner Bros. be trying to build up to a Justice League movie with continuity from other films, Angela Bassett could end up playing a huge part. The first step towards that begins when Green Lantern hits theaters on June 17. For more on the film, be sure to check out our Blend Film Database.

If feels as though it's been forever since we last heard anything from Martin Campbell's The Green Lantern, and, in a way, that's true. Set to be released in June, the last image for the film came out all the way back in mid-January which feels like years ago in the middle of the Hollywood hype machine. Is it possible that they're waiting until they have the suit looking better before showing off the character again? These new stills would suggest yes, as neither one of them has Ryan Reynolds decked out as a green space ranger.

French website MarveDC-Universe.com has posted two fresh, never before stills from the film. The first sees Hal Jordan, played by Reynolds, talking with his friend and fellow pilot Carol Ferris (Blake Lively) and the other features Hal looking worried as he is about to put on his power ring. You can also get a glimpse at the Green Lantern battery in the second shot.

Check out the new stills below and head over to MarveDC-Universe.com to see them full-size.

Without a word of warning, apparently Warner Bros. has decided that that January 19, 2011 is “National Superhero Day.” Earlier this morning came the gigantic, huge announcement that Tom Hardy will Play Bane and Anne Hathaway will play Catwoman in The Dark Knight Rises (see my feature on the subject here) and now we have a little taste of Green Lantern for you.

French website Cinema Teaser has posted a new photo from the upcoming Martin Campbell-directed intergalactic superhero flick that’s due out in June. In the still we see Hector Hammond and Hal Jordan (played by Peter Sarsgaard and Ryan Reynolds) hanging out what appears to be some kind of party. In the background, over Hector’s shoulder, you can also see Senator Hammond, Hector’s father, who is played by Tim Robbins. Considering the size of Hector’s head, we can probably assume that this picture is from fairly early in the movie, before either one of them discovers that there are actually aliens out there.

Check out the image below and head over to Cinema Teaser to see it full size.

Looking back on the trailer for Green Lantern that came out at last month, a lot of the focus was put on how bad the CGI suit looks, but not enough attention was paid to the rest of the graphics. The shots taking place in space or on the planet Oa are actually beautifully rendered, meaning that there's hope yet for all of the CGI elements in the film. This idea extends to the alien characters as well. We've already seen Kilowog, Sinestro, and Tomar-Re, and now new storyboards uncovered by CBM appear to give us a glimpse at both Krona and Parallax.

For those unfamiliar with the two characters, Parallax, who we have been told will be the film's main villain, is the embodiment of fear who travels from travels from planet to planet causing mass destruction, and Krona is an Oan scientist who, after after building a machine to view the origins of the universe, accidentally creates an infinite number of parallel universes and is punished by being transformed into pure energy and banished from their world. Check out two of the three storyboards below and head over to CBM where they have a third on display.

When the first trailer for Green Lantern dropped last week, everybody was focused on Ryan Reynolds' CGI suit and how great it didn't look. Completely ignored, though, was Peter Sarsgaard's Hector Hammond who not only was costumed using make-up, but looked damn good. Perhaps that's why we shouldn't be surprised that the newest image from the film focuses on him instead.

Bleeding Cool has discovered a magazine scan of one of the film's main baddies, and I personally couldn't be more happy with the character's appearance. It's not exactly easy to have a character whose trademark is his giant head and make it not look goofy, but they've really made something special here. Hammond's head looks bulbous and gross (like he's about to enter a Rocky Dennis look-a-like competition) and that's exactly what they needed to do. Looking at what they were able to do with the character it makes it all the more depressing that they decided to go with the CGI costume for the lead.

Check out part of the image below and head on over to Bleeding Cool to see the full thing. Also, for more about Green Lantern, head on over to our Blend Film Database.

At this year's Comic Con, the footage shown for Green Lantern was kind of a let down. Obviously they were still in production, but the bulk of the footage was a growing green light followed by a bunch of quick one-look shots. Hell, they didn't even show Ryan Reynolds in the suit. Fortunately for fans, the first official trailer for the film will be attached to Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1, but until that arrives, you may just have to sit through an episode of Entertainment Tonight.

Preview footage for the gossip show's special on the upcoming Martin Campbell superhero has popped online and even though it only clocks in at 30 seconds, there's a hell of a lot here to be excited about. First of all, we finally get to see Ryan Reynolds suited-up and in action, but the spot also shows a quick glimpse at everyone's favorite Bolovax Vik native, Kilowog.

The full preview airs on Tuesday, November 16, but until then, check out the footage below.

As excited as everyone was to see what Ryan Reynolds looked like in the Green Lantern costume, there is an equal number wanting to see the full ranks of the Green Lantern Corps. With diverse characters from all around the universe, Martin Campbell and company have their mission as they head off into post-production. Just as we've yet to see the completed suit for Ryan Reynolds, however, it may be some time before all of the CGI is completed. That said, the first official look at Kilowog is now online.

Comic Book Movie has received the first look at Bolovax Vik native straight from the film's art department. You may remember some concept art for the character popping up online earlier this year, but it appears that he's undergone a few changes since. His skin, which appeared gray in the first image, now actually has some hue and the shape of his mouth has changed considerably.

Check below for the new image, the concept art, as well as a look at the character as he was drawn in the comics. For a full size image of Kilowog, head on over to Comic Book Movie.

Great news for Green Lantern fans: according to a tweet from DC Chief Creative Officer Geoff Johns, production on the film officially wrapped last Friday. Here's what Johns had to say:

That's some great news for any fans of the character, DC, or comic book movies in general, who can all safely assume the movie will make its June 17, 2011 release date. It may also mean we'll start seeing more of the goods from the film very soon. They didn't show off much at Comic Con and the first look at Ryan Reynolds in costume raised a lot of fanboy doubts. With all the film in the can, though, hopefully they'll be able to put together an actual trailer fairly soon.

The San Diego Comic Con has become the outlet for studios to promote their most popular films. It is there that all of your favorite superheroes, science-fiction franchises and action films show off what they have to as many geeks as can fit in Hall H. This year, one of those said projects will be Martin Campbell's Green Lantern, the next big superhero franchise from the folks over at Warner Bros. and DC Comics. What we've seen from the film has been tremendously limited up to this point, the closest we've gotten to seeing Ryan Reynolds in costume is this (albeit it's a good a picture as we are going to get considering that the suit will be digitally rendered. So with Green Lantern set to have it's panel next Saturday, that's when we will get our first look, right? Nope.

Comic Book Movie reports that Entertainment Weekly Managing Editor Jess Cagle recently made a radio station visit where she revealed that next week Ryan Reynolds in full Green Lantern garb will grace the cover of the magazine. The subject was brought up while discussing the recently released Mel Gibson tapes, which will be bumped in favor of our favorite green superhero.

Very democratic of Warner Bros., if I do say so myself. But for those planning on attending the convention that are upset they won't be getting an exclusive first picture, perhaps they will make up for it in other ways.

We've been hearing an awful lot about Martin Campbell's upcoming comic adaptation Green Lantern lately, from casting rumors to recent spy photos from the set, but no one has really known exactly what this movie is going to be about. Until now.

Able to pull their faces out of the glossy comic book pages for long enough to check their email, the crew over at ComicBookMovie.com got their hands on the official Warner Bros. press release which puts the entire Green Lantern plot into perspective. The description reveals that the ultimate Green Lantern villain, Parallax, will play a big role in the film, and also lines up the rest of the cast.

The film isn't due out for another year, presumably since so many of the shots are going to need heavy post-production effects work, but this synopsis should be enough to get Green Lantern faithfuls spinning their wheels about what exactly they're going to do with Parallax, and how they're going to handle the rest of the Green Lantern Corps. Check out the release below.

Are you sick of hearing about Green Lantern yet? I hope not, because you can surely expect the steady stream of news coming out of Warner Bros to continue. They’ve done a great job the past few months keeping their upcoming adaptation fresh in the minds of comic and film fans alike. It seems like once a week we’ve been getting casting updates, story details have begun to slowly trickle down, and now, in a bit of behind the scenes news, Variety is reporting that Imageworks will be working their digital mastery on the film’s visual effects.

If you were hoping this would give you an idea of what the film will look like, unfortunately you’ll be sorely disappointed, since the VFX supervisors assigned to Lantern all have produced such different work. On board are Karen Goulekas and Kent Houston,who put together The Day After Tomorrow and The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus respectively. Both are great looking films, but totally different art and visual effects styles.

Imageworks has also been the go-to effects studio for the Spider-Man, franchise adding yet another very different style into the mix. Based on this pairing, we can be guaranteed that Green Lantern will be a great film to look at, but it’s still up in the air if we’ll be seeing fully believable effects a la Day After Tomorrow (excluding those shitty wolves) or if the cartoony Spider-Man vibe will shine through.

Given the outer space roots of the intergalactic enforcement squad the Green Lanterns, people have been wondering how much of the upcoming Ryan Reynolds vehicle will actually take place out of our own atmosphere. MTV recently sat down with Green Lantern director Martin Campbell, busy promoting his latest film Edge of Darkness, and tried to give fans a sense of what they’re going to see once Reynolds slides into the green spandex body suit.

The clip is incredibly brief and doesn’t give much information about the upcoming comic book adaptation, but Campbell is hopeful that there will be enough of a mix between space and Earth to satisfy everyone. Unfortunately, the other big question on everyone’s mind, about whether Sinestro or Hecktor Hammond will be the main baddie, remains unasked.

Green Latern is slated for a June 17, 2011 release. Check out the clip below.

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Even though we don't yet know any of the names that will be part of the Green Lantern cast beyond Ryan Reynolds in the lead role, director Martin Campbell isn't wasting any time getting the below-the-line talent assembled. Superhero Hype is reporting that many of the key crew members are already on board, and there's no lack of Oscars among them. DP Dion Beebe won a statue for his work with Rob Marshall on Memoirs of a Geisha, while production designer Grant Major and costume designer Ngila Dickson were both winners for Return of the King.

Perhaps the most exciting crew member, though, is the one who hasn't won an Oscar-- Francois Audouy just finished doing concept art for Avatar, and was also the art director for Watchmen and the first Transformers, movies that may have their flaws but look great throughout.

Of course talented people working on the set don't guarantee a good movie, but Campbell's commitment to bringing in good people-- and the studio's commitment to paying for them-- indicates an intended level of quality for The Green Lantern that's promising. Once they start casting more people and we can actually see what they're up to, we'll know a lot more for sure.

I hope Jackie Earle Haley likes playing bad guys because it’s starting to look like Rorschach, of all people, is as close as he’s ever going to get to being on the side of right. He’s already the new Freddy Krueger and in the past year he’s been rumored for just about every project in need of a villain you can think of. Now go ahead and add Green Lantern to that list.

AICN is pedaling a new rumor in which they claim Jackie Earle Haley is in the running to play Sinestro in the film. They’re not saying he has it, merely that he’s at the top of Green Lantern director Martin Campbell’s list of actors he’d like to play the character. That doesn’t mean they’ll offer the part to him it doesn’t even mean Haley wants it. It just means that somewhere out there Martin Campbell is sitting in a room and saying to himself, “hey I like that Haley guy.” So far the only person cast in the movie is their lead. Ryan Reynolds is playing Hal Jordan as The Green Lantern.

So who is this Sinestro character? He is of course, Green Lantern’s equal and opposite because, that seems to be the only idea any of these comic books have. He has all the same powers as Lantern, except his are yellow. Also he’s an alien and in the comics was at one time Hal Jordan’s mentor. Man, Mr. Glass really had this comic book villain/superhero dynamic down pat, didn’t he? Come on comic books, surprise me once in awhile. Somebody dump this repetitive formula.

Warner Bros. has picked their Green Lantern and they’ve gone with the safest choice. You’ll remember earlier today we told you here that they’d narrowed things down to three actors: Justin Timberlake, Ryan Reynolds, and Bradley Cooper. THR says they’ve now settled on Ryan Reynolds to play Hal Jordan/Green Lantern.

Reynolds is no stranger to playing the superhero. It started with Blade Trinity in which he played one of Wesley Snipes’ sword-wielding, witty, vampire-killing sidekicks. Then this summer he showed up and was underutilized in X-Men Origins: Wolverine as the wise-cracking, sword-swinging Deadpool. No swords for Ryan this time, Green Lantern has a better weapon, a ring of power which lets him create almost anything he can imagine. Lantern isn’t however usually known for his sense of humor, though who knows, perhaps they’ll find a way to rework the character to suit Ryan’s talent for the perfect retort.

The deal isn’t done yet, but they’re working on it. Martin Campbell is already set to direct and they expect to start shooting in January. Budget is still being set, but expect big, big, big if they plan to pull off Green Lantern’s challenging super powers. This is probably bad news for anyone hoping for a Deadpool spin-off, Green Lantern is DC Comics and Deadpool is Marvel. It’s unlikely Ryan will be allowed to cross back over the superhero aisle.

Given the endless series of Green Lantern casting rumors we've heard over the past few months, it's easy to convince yourself that anyone could fit the part. "Oh, Adrian Grenier, I could see that." "Has anyone thought about casting Shia LaBeouf?" But for some reason when I read at Htifix that Bradley Cooper is one of the last actors in the running for the part, something clicked. That's casting that really and truly would work.

According to Drew McWeeny's story, "the process is far enough along that this is more than just a meeting or some spot on a wish list. " Director Martin Campbell apparently likes to keep a lot of people in the running until the last minute, so Cooper isn't the only name out there, but maybe the most likely.

Cooper was most recently seen as the caddish and kind of bland guy cheating on Jennifer Connelly in He's Just Not That Into You, but he has a long series of great comedic roles to back up him, including Wedding Crashers and the immortal Wet Hot American Summer. Sure, he's a comedian, not an action star, but the comedic touch that Robert Downey Jr. brought to Iron Man might be well used here as well.

Cooper isn't definite, but if he keeps getting this kind of positive response from the web, he might just be. Are you guys feeling as enthusiastic about this as I am?

It's not easy being Mel Gibson. No, not because of that whole divorce and affair thing-- this isn't the celebrity section, people! This is all about the first image from his new film, Edge of Darkness, in which Gibson plays a homicide cop whose job gets very personal when his own daughter is murdered. As he told Empire Online, "He's a seasoned old detective," Gibson told us, "a bit hangdog. And he's in a state of shock for most of the film, because he's had tremendous trauma right at the beginning of it."

Empire is hosting the new image as well, and you can click on the smaller version below to see the full thing. Edge of Darkness, directed by Casino Royale helmer Martin Campbell, comes out at some point later this year.