Danny Boyle calls exit from Bond 25 'a great shame'

'What [collaborator] John [Hodge] and I were doing, I thought, was really good'

Danny Boyle has described departing the 25th James Bond film as “a great shame”.

Speaking to Empire, the Trainspotting filmmaker revealed that he had completed a script with co-writer John Hodge, but the producers were unhappy with the results.

“What John [Hodge] and I were doing, I thought, was really good,” Boyle said. “It wasn’t finished, but it could have been really good… We were working very, very well, but they didn’t want to go down that route with us.

“So we decided to part company, and it would be unfair to say what it was because I don’t know what Cary [Joji Fukunaga] is going to do. I got a very nice message from him and I gave him my best wishes… It is just a great shame.”

Fukunaga took over as director following Boyle’s dismissal. Eon Productions, who oversee the Bond franchise, released a statement soon after: “Michael G. Wilson, Barbara Broccoli and Daniel Craig today announced that due to creative differences Danny Boyle has decided to no longer direct Bond 25.”

One rumour circulating soon after claimed Boyle had wanted to kill off Craig’s version of Bond, though this has not been confirmed.

Bond 25 is allegedly now going under the working title Eclipse. Reports previously claimed that Bond 25 had the working title Shatterhand, which was used in the books as an alias for Blofeld.

There have also been reports that Bohemian Rhapsody actor Rami Malek has been approached to play the film’s villain and that Bond will drive an electric car in the film.