Sam Mendes declines offer to direct new James Bond movie

Sam Mendes, the James Bond director, has ruled out any possibility of him to be directing the next movie of the franchise.

Sam is an acclaimed British director known for his iconic productions such as American Beauty, Road to Perdition, Revolutionary Board, and 1917 along with two Bond movies - 2012's, and 2015's Skyfall.

Skyfall starred Daniel Crag as the iconic spy aka James Bond for both installments, reports Mid-day.

In a conversation with UK entertainment news outlet Empire, the British filmmaker said, "I received a generous offer from James Bond franchise producers Michael G Wilson and Barbara Broccoli to direct a new film" but he decided against it.

Explaining why he didn't accept the offer, Sam Mendes said, though directing Skyfall was the best experience of his professional life, "I have theatre and other commitments".

He added that he is directing Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and King Lear over the next year and wants to put his complete focus on these two projects.

The latest installment in the iconic spy series was No Time To Die in 2021 which marked the final appearance of Craig as James Bond.

Last year, Mendes directed a romance drama named Empire of Light, that starred Olivia Colman, Toby Jones, Michael Ward, and Colin Firth.