James Bond fans crushed after discovering Hollywood legends' 1960s-set pitch
Tony Gilroy, best known for Michael Clayton and the Bourne films, and Steven Soderbergh, famous for directing box office hits Ocean 11 and Erin Brockervich, were set to team up to bring back classic Bond.
The Hollywood duo wished to create a Bond reboot firmly set in the 1960s, far removed from today's CGI and gadgets.
The directors wanted to strip Bond back to knives and suits, in an attempt to bring back the origin of the infamous spy franchise.
However, the pair proposed a 1960s James Bond to Barbara Broccoli, who was responsible for the creative control of the movies at the time.
In February 2025, Broccoli and Michael G Wilson sold the creative control of the Bond movies to Amazon MGM for $1billion.
Despite no longer being involved in the creative direction of the upcoming films, the pair still have a say in any matters related to the franchise as they both remain co-owners.
In an interview with The Playlist in 2020, Soderbergh revealed: 'We were at odds about some things that were important. We had some great conversations. It was fun to think about, but we just couldn't…. the last ten yards were, we just couldn't do it, we couldn't figure it out.'
The award-winning partnership has been in the works for the past eight years, with the pair both sharing a passion for creating the next big blockbuster spy film.
The main reason the period pitch died was due to the creative directors wanting the modern Bond films to reflect modern times, rather than bringing in elements of nostalgia.
Many Bond superfans took to X to express their opinions on what could have been fantastic cinema. 'Cool, thanks for telling me the only thing i've ever wanted will never happen,' wrote @nonemorevasta.
Another fan, @delaibessa, said: 'Sometimes take these things to your grave. What's the point of increasing the anguish and loss in our already painful existence.'
'They should still make it. Even if unofficial. Just like MI series,' @fictusfilms added.
As long as Amazon is in charge of the creative direction of Bond, much to the fans' dismay, a retro setting is very unlikely.
The next James Bond film is believed to be deep in development.
The film has a £250million budget, which is around the same as No Time To Die, with Amy Pascal and David Hayman leading the writers' room once again.
'Bond 26' is expected to be released in late 2027, around October, to replicate the previous release dates.
Despite rumours of scripts being well underway, there has still not been any public knowledge on who will play the iconic James Bond. More Trending
Daniel Craig played 007 in five films over 15 years, but made his final appearance in 2021.
No Time To Die marked a clear end to Craig's Bond era with his character's death – this was also monumental to the franchise as it was the first time 007 has died on screen.
There has been many rumoured Bonds to replace Daniel Craig, from Aaron Pierre to Henry Cavill and Aaron Taylor-Johnson, just to name a few.
We will all be keeping our eyes peeled to see who will be putting on 007's suit.
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