When it comes to the James Bond franchise, everything is pretty much fair game in terms of cast and crew. Approaching the 23rd film in the series, anyone can direct a chapter and there’s absolutely no issues with recasting the role of James Bond himself after an actor has contributed to a few of the flicks. Since Daniel Craig took over the famed title in 2006’s Casino Royale, Bond has reached a whole new level of quality and entertainment. Martin Campbell directed that chapter, which was followed up with Marc Forster’s Quantum of Solace, and now we know who will handle the duties for Bond 23: Sam Mendes.

Much like Forster (Monster’s Ball, Finding Neverland), Mendes is not a director who plays in the realms of action movies very often. His best work to date is the Best Picture winning American Beauty, which he has followed up with many loved and respected films such as Road to Perdition, Jarhead, and Revolutionary Road.

With the hiring of Mendes, it appears that Bond 23 is now moving quickly with hopes beginning production by June and releasing the film some time in 2011. Fans of the last two films need not fret as Daniel Craig is indeed set to come back again for this currently untitled addition. For the many who consider Craig to be the best Bond yet, there will surely no dispute if returns as many times as is possible.

Neal Purvis, Robert Wade, and Peter Morgan are currently writing the script. Purvis and Wade are regulars who wrote Bond titles like The World is Not Enough, Die Another Day, Casino Royale, and Quantum of Solace. This is Morgan’s first Bond adventure, but he has previously written titles such as The Last King of Scotland, The Queen, and Frost/Nixon.

[Source: THR]