Edward Berger addresses rumors about James Bond 26 director: ‘Bond, I grew up with it’

Edward Berger experiences a beautiful, elongated moment in the cinema. Despite seemingly walking on some hallowed ground for filmmaking when he made a remake (or more accurately reinterpreted)Everything quiet on the Western Front in 2022, he came out the other side with a bang of a movie, becoming one of the rare cases in which a foreign language film was nominated by the Academy Awards for Best Picture and Berger for Best Adapted Screenplay. Now its sequel arrives this weekend as one of the most talked-about pictures of the fall, a surprisingly tense and even explosive thriller set in the depths of the Vatican: Conclave.

Yet time and time again, whispers about a very different kind of film follow in his footsteps – whispers that he may be being eyed by producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson to direct the next James Bond film. The information dates back to August The Telegraph reported that Eon Productions reportedly considered Berger a top choice to film the first Bond not to star Daniel Craig in two decades. And although Berger has since denied that there were any discussions between himself and the 007 producers, the story remains in the press, including us. That’s why we sat down with Berger earlier this week to discuss the excellent Conclavewe couldn’t resist asking if, if the opportunity arose, he’d be interested in directing 007?

“Who wouldn’t, you know?” says the German filmmaker with a slight smile. “Bond, I grew up with it. He’s an idol. Those movies, I diligently watched them back to front, of course I would. But I have no idea whether I would ever be on the discussion list. There is actually no discussion, there is no future for me at the moment. Barbara Broccoli and Michael (G. Wilson) are kind of the keepers of that holy grail, and they’ll make the right decision for whatever they want to do, and I think that’s the most important thing.

While Berger leaves the door open, he also notes that the idea of ​​taking a 007 photo is currently “so far from me” that he can’t seriously consider the super spy being on his horizon.