Sam Mendes

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What are the odds?

Remember when Daniel Craig famously said he’s rather slash his own wrists than suit up again as 007? There’s probably a handful of reasons Craig was hesitant to return to the franchise, from the intense physical demands of the role to the time commitment to playing a celebrated, though not-all-that-creative iconic character. (Bond isn’t exactly a role that lends an actor much creative license, unlike say, Joe Bang in Logan Lucky where Craig gets to roll around in sheer kookiness.) But according to new rumors, there was another reason that Craig may have been reluctant to rejoin the franchise for Bond 25, and now, Bond 26.

Nearly two decades out from his first film, and the viewing public hasn’t gotten any closer to answering the philosophical quandary of what, exactly, a Sam Mendes film is. He’s hopped from an accented dramedy about suburban malaise to a grim-and-gritty graphic novel adaptation to an off-kilter war drama to a pair of coolly-received literary adaptations to James freakin’ Bond. The most effective method of predicting the subject of a new directorial outing from Mendes involves dartboards, tea leaves, and cloud-reading, and today’s announcement of a new project for the esteemed Brit helmer adds yet another baffling left turn to his eclectic oeuvre.

Disney shows no signs of slowing down plans for their ever-expanding live-action empire, which not only includes remakes of their classic animated titles, but new adaptations of various beloved properties, like James and the Giant Peach. Roald Dahl’s darkly whimsical children’s story is the latest project on the studio’s to-do list, with recent Bond director Sam Mendes in talks to take the helm.