Editor's Note: The following story may be troubling for hardcore James Bond fans. To lessen the blow, UGO is presenting the bad news in Bond-Title-Vision (tm) We apologize in advance for this.
Word comes from Variety with love that EON Productions is temporarily shutting the doors on its metaphorical casino royale; that is, Bond 23 has, for now, its licence to kill revoked. Though previous Bond installments where moonraking in the box office receipts, the financial future of MGM is cited for the production delay. If you still can't put your goldfinger on it, MGM is in desperate need of the spy that loaned me.
Star Daniel Craig has served on her Majesty's secret service since 2006, but has only lived twice as the man with the golden gun (though to tell you in which films he did would be cheating). If it's a Craig-fix you're after, though, fear not. One cinematic world is not enough for that guy. He'll be appearing in some big upcoming genre films, including the first Spielberg Tintin and Jon Favreau's Cowboys and Aliens.
Sam Mendes, meanwhile, was reportedly set to take his goldeneye for visual storytelling and would have directed the living daylights out of Bond 23. On the plus side (assuming he's not an octopussy and does, indeed, have the thunderballs) his schedule is now free for Preacher.
Fear not, Bond fans. The franchise is, financially, the crown jewel of MGM and, as we all know, diamonds are forever. Take a quantum of solace in the fact that tomorrow never dies (or, at least, may die another day). That may mean Bond lives and lets die the company that has owned it for nearly 50 years, but if the rights do wind up on the auction block, another studio should have a clear view to a killing (box-office-wise, that is).
