Christopher Nolan For Bond? Report Has 'Dark Knight' Director Talking With 007 Producers

Christopher Nolan's fascination with the James Bond franchise is well documented, but might the acclaimed director finally get his own crack at 007? According to Baz Bamigboye of the Daily Mail, Bond producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G .Wilson have spoken to Nolan about taking over the franchise for the next James Bond film, the 24th in the series.

The vacancy at the helm of Bond 24 stems from the fact that "Skyfall" director Sam Mendes decided against coming back for that film's follow-up. "Was I willing to go straight back into a room with a writer and start work on the same set of characters and the same scenarios as I've been working on for the last three years? No. The idea made me feel physically ill." Mendes told The Guardian in an interview earlier this year. Despite that, Broccoli and Wilson said they would happily work with Mendes again in the future and it's easy to see why: "Skyfall" was the most successful Bond film ever, earning over $1 billion at the global box office.

As mentioned, Nolan is a Bond fan. He previously cited "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" as an influence for "Inception" and just last year expressed interest in making his own Bond film. "It would have to be the right situation and the right time in their cycle of things," he said to Empire.

Time, of course, might be the problem: Mendes alluded to the fact that Bond production would have to start soon, and Nolan is busy making "Interstellar" with Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway and Jessica Chastain. That film is set for release in November of 2014, meaning Nolan could find himself booked through the end of next year when press obligations are taken into account. Bond producers, meanwhile, are tentatively eyeing a 2015 release date for the next film.

For more on Nolan, head over to The Daily Mail.

[The Daily Mail via Indiewire/The Playlist]