Danny Boyle backs Robert Pattinson for Bond

Robert Pattinson - AFP
Robert Pattinson - AFP

Danny Boyle has said that Robert Pattinson, who is about to take on the role of Batman, should be the next James Bond.

The director, who stopped working on Bond 25 in August due to a script-related dispute, revealed in an interview that he thought Pattinson was “ready” to take on the role.

Boyle told the Guardian that he watched the actor in Claire Denis’s High Life and thought “Oh my God, they should get him to be the next Bond.”

When asked if Pattinson might be too young for the role, Boyle replied “No, no [...] He must be in his 30s. How old was Connery? He’s ready now.” Dr No came out in 1962, when Connery was 32.

The 33-year-old Pattinson is one of the youngest actors ever to play Batman on the big screen – second only to Christian Bale, who was 31 when Batman Begins was released.

Danny Boyle - Credit: Ian West/ PA
Danny Boyle Credit: Ian West/ PA

The current Bond film, which will be Daniel Craig’s final foray as 007, has had a rocky production process.

After Boyle’s departure the release date of the film was pushed back to February 14, 2020. Cary Fukunaga took over as director, but Craig’s ankle injury and multiple scheduling issues caused further difficulty.

On June 9, The Sun reported that Rami Malek, who was cast as the villain in Bond 25, would be unable to shoot at the same time as Craig due to other filming commitments.

According to the paper, the latest complication is that Fukunaga was “several hours” late to a scheduled slot because he was playing video games.

Fukunaga responded to the accusation on Instagram, writing: “As for my PS4 relationship, if my RDR2 [Red Dead Redemption] progress is any indication, it’s been stunted at 63% for months and if anyone spoils the end for me before I wrap on B25 I’m going to be pissed.”