Klik hier voor het Nederlandse artikel.

We have been waiting for news about Bond 26 for some time now. Although the official social media likes to remind us of No Time to Die (2021), we moved on from that film almost two years ago. Bond enthusiasts want to look forward. We’re speculating about directors and actors, but little seems certain. Until now. The website Production Weekly tracks all films in production and compiles them into a large list, which they then publish. And what film is suddenly on that list? Indeed, Bond 26.

Without the paid version of the website, you can only read the list of film titles. Subscribers also have access to the real insider information: a summary that keeps track of each film’s production status. Bond 26 appears on the list for the first time, meaning it’s being worked on at some level. To me, it seems to be in a very early stage of pre-production. Amazon/MGM approving EON Productions’ financial plans and giving the green light is enough to be mentioned.

Bullets for Winter is Bond 26 (according to IMDb)

If you search IMDb for the films EON Productions is currently working on, you find three titles. There’s Remote Control, about a British secret agent who discovers a conspiracy against China, starring Gerard Butler, which is in pre-production. No Place to Hide is a biographical film about whistle-blower Edward Snowden. But the one that’s of interest to us is Bullets for Winter. Clicking on that title reveals no details. However, there’s a link to the IMDb Pro page. Bullets for Winter redirects to… Bond 26!

There it is, on IMDb Pro, the film page for Bond 26. The movie is labelled as ‘announced’. This labelling can happen quickly. Barbara Broccoli making press statements like “We’ll get to Bond 26 after celebrating 60 years of Bond” and “We need to reinvent the character” is enough to assign the ‘announced’ status. Remember that IMDb, like Wikipedia, can be easily edited, though Pro pages are more secure.

EON and Frozen Film Company Limited

I’ve mentioned a mysterious subsidiary of EON Productions before, Frozen Film Company Limited. This company was mentioned in EON’s last annual financial report. All Bond films since Casino Royale (2006) have been officially made by EON and a separate holding, created for each film. For instance, Spectre (2015) was made through B24 Limited, and No Time to Die through B25 Limited. These subsidiaries are set up years in advance.

I’ve been scouring the internet for two years to find B26 Limited. Without success. But the annual report made me wonder. What if the special subsidiary for Bond 26 already exists? Frozen Film Company Limited has been around since October 1st, 2015, and recently transitioned from a dormant to an active company. EON is doing something with Frozen Film Company Limited. The question is: what? Notably, it’s listed as a ‘non-trading company’, which means it’s sometimes inactive, likely to be in a start-up phase, but still conducts financial transactions. However, all previous subsidiaries listed ‘Motion picture production activities’ as their main activity.

Covert operation or false hope?

An occasionally inactive company, but with ongoing transactions. That’s vague. Evidently, Frozen Film Company Limited finds itself in an early stage of development. But is it the right company? We’re not sure. If it is in fact the subsidiary for Bond 26, then it’s the first time EON is (probably intentionally) vague. But they’re allowed to be. And if we suddenly see ‘Motion picture production activities’ appear once the company starts its activities, then we’re likely on the right track.

Putting all the pieces together, things start to make sense. ‘Bullets for Winter‘, ‘Frozen Film’, the choices seem intentional. The Bond series was put on ice after No Time to Die. And Bond 26 will soon pierce through the cold Bond-less winter like a bullet. It reminds me of the fake titles for other movies, meant to avoid attention. Or maybe I’m wrong, trying to make connections that aren’t there. Perhaps this entire article is too far-fetched.

Where’s Michael?

Because if we look objectively, there are some unexplained holes in my theory. According to the British Companies House, three people are labelled ‘officers’ of Frozen Film Companies Limited. Bond producer Barbara Broccoli is a director, along with David Pope, co-producer for the Bond films since Skyfall (2012). EON’s accountant John Roebuck is secretary of Frozen Film. But where’s Michael G. Wilson? He’s mentioned in all previous subsidiaries. Not in this one.

So, is Bond 26 the movie where Michael G. Wilson retires? There’s been much speculation, following a notable speech by Barbara at the premiere of No Time to Die. Nobody knows what Michael will do. The assumption is that he will remain as a consulting producer, like Albert R. Broccoli did with GoldenEye (1995). Michael would help choose the new Bond actor, but the actual production work would be his half-sister’s responsibility.

Welcome back Phoebe?

However, that’s an assumption. There have been no signs from EON that Michael is about to retire. And on the IMDb Pro page, Michael is listed as a producer, as usual. Though I’m coming back to my earlier remark that anyone can edit IMDb. Because who’s listed on that page as a writer, albeit with (rumour) added? Phoebe Waller Bridge. She (in a much-publicised role) revised the script for No Time to Die and has since been sporadically linked to Bond 26.

The rumour that Phoebe Waller-Bridge has a script ready for Bond 26, or has even been asked to start to write one, seems unlikely. Whenever Barbara Broccoli is asked about Bond 26, she refers to the story and writers Neal Purvis and Robert Wade. They are the ones that need to sit down with EON, is what Barbara always says. Those two veterans, involved with Bond since The World Is Not Enough (1999). Not Phoebe Waller-Bridge.

The true beginning

Neal Purvis and Robert Wade bring me back to the question that looms over this article. This financial stuff is nice to know, but when will those two start writing? When will EON appoint a director? Who will be the seventh 007? The answer, dear reader, is that we probably won’t know for a while. Hollywood is facing a writer’s and actor’s strike that might be resolved in the coming weeks. The unions are still negotiating with the film bosses.

But things are moving. Has MGM’s new Head of Feature Film Production, Peter Oillataguerre, accelerated things? Maybe. Even though rumours about directors are circulating, I think this proves that the road to Bond 26 is slower than we might’ve hoped.

Let’s put it this way: if we get any news on October 5th, 61 years after the premiere of Dr. No in 1962, it’s unlikely to be the announcement of an actor or director. Best case scenario: we get a release date, because Amazon wants to set a target. Worst case scenario: we get no news at all on James Bond Day. We might have to be satisfied with the thought that, in secret, hopefully, work is being done on Bond 26.

One more thing…

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Het bericht Has Bond 26 started production? verscheen eerst op James Bond Nederland.

Scroll down for the English interview

Veel productievertragingen, meningsverschillen tussen filmmakers en de verderfelijke Coronapandemie zorgden 2,5 jaar voor moedeloze geluiden binnen de fan community. Maar na veel puffen en zuchten kunnen we dan na een pauze van 6 jaar eindelijk op donderdag 30 september van 2021 “No Time To Die” aanschouwen. De 25^e Bond-film is de eerste grote blockbuster voor de Amerikaanse regisseur Cary Joji Fukunaga. Wat kunnen we verwachten van deze film? En andere films die op de planning staan? Hoe staat de 007-franchise er nu voor? En is regisseren nou daadwerkelijk nog zo idyllisch als veel filmliefhebbers doen voorkomen?

Ik sprak met één van de bekendste Nederlandse regisseurs en tevens zelfverklaard James Bond-fan: Martin Koolhoven (Meervoudig Gouden Kalf-winnaar, waaronder voor Brimstone uit 2016, en presentator van VPRO’s De Kijk Van Koolhoven). We vroegen ‘m zo vlak voor de première van de nieuwe Bond-film natúúrlijk het hemd van z’n lijf. Want ook hij is razend benieuwd naar het eindproduct van zijn collega Fukunaga.

In het uitgebreide tweeluik kwamen verschillende onderwerpen aan de orde, variërend van z’n tijd voorafgaande aan zijn rijke filmcarrière tot aan de fijne kneepjes van het scenarioschrijvers-vak. En van z’n omvangrijke regie-ervaring tot aan andere uitingen van zijn diepgewortelde filmliefde. Om ook buitenlandse Bond-fans een inkijkje te geven in het werk van zowel een regisseur als scenarioschrijver, werd het interview geheel in het Engels gedaan. 

Vandaag deel 2 van het interview:

Gert: Before the break we talked about the action/spy genre. Let’s keep that idea in your mind for a while. How come you haven’t been making any new films as of late?

Martin: “I could say I have been doing lots of other things, like introducing movies in Eye Film Museum and other theatres, presenting my TV-shows about films (De Kijk Van Koolhoven) and even my own theatre show (Klassiekers Met Koolhoven). But the truth is: I could do all these things and still continue writing. I think screenwriting is the most difficult aspect in moviemaking. And when something is not right in my life, I can’t do it. It’s already difficult enough without personal problems. It seems things now are clearing up a bit, so hopefully we will get a bunch of movies from my hand pretty soon after each other. The good thing is I have been writing in the last years, but that’s just not finished yet. So….wish me luck!”

Gert: We wish you lots of luck with that Martin. And we trust all of your work, including directing/writing movies, will continue to baffle and inspire us. Having said that, do you think conveying your passion for movies (filmmaking) is more gratifying by teaching us about the very subject in your TV Shows (De Kijk Van Koolhoven: Koolhoven’s View On Movies) or by doing this directly via a finalized film?

Martin: “In all honesty, making movies is the core reason why I have been put on this earth. Talking about movies is just pure fun.”

Gert: But directing and/or screenwriting can also be more stressful? How stressful is it to actually direct/write a movie?

Martin: “Directing a movie is very stressful, especially if you are very ambitious and particularly if you don’t have a high budget. But it is also fun; I feel very much alive on a movie set. Writing a screenplay is something completely else; you use different muscles. I wouldn’t call it very stressful, because I don’t let myself become stressed when I’m writing. If it takes longer, it takes longer. Writing is more lonely, more painful ánd more frustrating though.”

Gert: Apart from brainstorming about some ideas for a Bond-film right now, both as a director and a screenplay writer, you were actually contemplating to make a movie about the Dutch East Indies. What is the status of this particular project?

Martin: “Yes! I am currently writing Emerald Butterfly, an epic noir-thriller set in Batavia (present day Djakarta), 1946.”

Gert: Let’s move back for a bit to your work as inspirator, presenter and lecturer, perhaps by also taking into account the inspiration you get from writing Emerald Butterfly. Are there currently some plans for a new series of De Kijk Van Koolhoven? Could we expect an episode about historical epics? Or an episode specifically dedicated to the James Bond films or the espionage genre at large?

Martin: “De Kijk van Koolhoven is the result of a close collaboration between three people: David Kleijwegt (director, VPRO), Reinier van Brummelen (camera and effects) and me (content). The crux is always in the agendas. We’re all busy and try to get that together. The most time is actually spent in the complete post-processing (I don’t have much to do with that proces myself) and that takes a lot of planning.”

Gert: We are eagerly awaiting a new series of De Kijk Van Koolhoven and as long as you feel attracted by presenting us with your wonderful views. About ‘attraction’. On several occasions you mentioned that Octopussy (1983) is your favourite Bond adventure. It was also your very first Bond film that you saw in cinema. What attracts you so much about thís particular Bond-film?

Martin: ”You have a moment, Gert? I have asked many people what their favourite Bond movie is and quite a lot of them picked the first one they saw. I guess most people see the first one as a young teenager and the sense of adventure probably speaks to you the loudest during that period. The first cut is the deepest, as they say. But if I try to find a better reason it is because of this: Like I said, the Bond-franchise started out trendsetting, but later on it adopted elements of what was popular at the time. This way the series always stayed relevant and fresh. Off course, some things were more tailored to my taste than others. I liked the blaxploitation elements in Live And Let Die (1973) tremendously, but thought the space station in Moonraker (1979) (obviously influenced by Star Wars) or the Miami Vice-vibe in Licence To Kill (1989) were a bit too farfetched. When Octopussy was made, audiences were craving for high adventure stories, because of the success of Raiders Of The Lost Ark (1981). You can see the DNA of that movie in all of Octopussy’s pores. And I think it suits the Bond-franchise very well. The adventurous action, the way the movie is light-hearted, I love it all. The suave opening theme song [‘All Time High’], the exotism, the water dripping from the yo-yo saw, the old-fashioned bad Russian general (Steven Berkoff), the slick Louis Jordan (Prince Kamal Khan) the scary Kabir Bedi (Gobinda), the beautiful Maud Adams (Miss Octopussy): they defined for me what Bond was about and it all suited Roger Moore perfectly! He might have been slightly too old to play the part (even though he did it one more time), but he had the charm to pull it all off. When asked who my favourite portrayal of James Bond 007 is, I always name Sean Connery (most people here actually tend to pick the first one they saw) and I always wonder if it [Octopussy] would have been even better with Connery playing the part. To be honest I don’t think so, no. But if I could pick a Bond film in which I could replace the actor playing Bond for Connery it would be On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969).”

Gert: You already mentioned Connery, but during that same year 1983 he returned to the role one final time, in Never Say Never Again. So 1983 was obviously a busy Bond year. Did you see that one in cinema too? And if so, what did you think of it at the time?

Martin: “I don’t think I saw it in the theatres. So I guess the first time I saw Never Say Never Again was on video a few years later. I kind of liked it, but also felt that something was missing. Without the James Bond theme song, without the logo on the credits, without the pistol barrel shot, I guess it felt a bit like Pepsi instead of Coca Cola. Also, I have seen the movie several times and I always seem to forget the story. I know it’s the same as Thunderball (1965), but somehow that one seems more memorable.”

Gert: Moving from a fan’s eye to the filmmaker’s eye. In the 1980’s Bond fans were able to see a Bond-film in cinema every two years. It’s 2021 now, ‘Cubby’ Broccoli passed away in 1996, Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson are the current stewards of the franchise, yet we barely see new Bond films in cinema again. If you’re lucky you can look forward to a new Bond adventure every 5 years. 6 years if you talk about No Time To Die! Why do you think this is?

Martin: “It has been said that it has to do with the fact that they [Barbara & Michael] are running out of Ian Fleming stories. But I also read it all depended on the financial situation the American studio that was backing up finances, was in. If they were in bad shape, it would take longer. But to be honest, I don’t know the exact details. I think every three years would be perfect and enough for me ”

Gert: You mention the problems behind the scenes of movie studios. But should the Bond film franchise keep trying to step up its productivity again in order to not let the Bond films become a living relic of something from the past and let it become a more vivid leading icon again in our collective pop-cultural consciousness?

Martin: “Let me present you with a clear and crisp answer to that. I think every three years would be perfect and enough for me.”

Gert: And since you know very well how complex filmmaking is, what would you advice the producers of the Bond film franchise? More direct appeals to the fans like Marvel is doing? Or let it stay a franchise with a certain distance between (older) fans and filmmakers?

Martin: “I’m sure Disney has already tried to buy the franchise by now. Like I said, it has more potential possibilities than Indiana Jones. I could see spin-offs in different directions and even alternative timelines. They could even do an animated children series. Though Bond is an extremely commercialized franchise with a lot of product placement, hit singles and merchandise. To me it [the franchise] still feels that the heart, the core of it, is genuine and it doesn’t feel like its sole purpose is to make money. I don’t know for how long the franchise is going to last though. How long can Barbara Broccoli resist the drooling mouths of Disney or Netflix, who are going to offer billions for the franchise. Personally, I hope they will keep things the way they are and keep control over the franchise. I wouldn’t mind a spin-off with another agent (for instance a female one), but we shouldn’t be overflooded with Bond. Just pick a new Bond, preferably a British actor, and give us a new Bond movie every three years!” deze keer wel met uitroepteken

Gert: One thing’s for sure: 30^th of September we Dutch movie lunatics can start drooling on another Bond adventure! So let’s start wrapping up our conversation with a few ‘which would you choose’-questions. From Russia With Love or On Her Majesty’s Secret Service?

Martin: “From Russia With Love!”

Gert: Next one. Live And Let Die or For Your Eyes Only (1981)?

Martin: “Live And Let Die!”

Gert: Casino Royale (2006) or Skyfall (2012)?

Martin: “Skyfall! (except for the first act of Casino Royale)”

Gert: Lastly, you were in Norway during the month of August. The country is one of the most important locations for the new Bond-film No Time To Die. Where you there for private reasons? Or were you trying to get some fresh ideas for potential film projects there?

Martin: “Well, since 1993 I have a relationship with a Norwegian girl. We are going there every summer and every Christmas.”

Gert: I did not see that one coming Martin! In any case, thank you so much for this extensive, in-depth interview. We obviously look forward to seeing you on the red carpet during the Dutch premiere of No Time To Die next month. Because, let’s face it, there really is no time to die anymore after such a long wait for a new Bond-film.

Martin: “And I hope to see you in the flesh soon Gert!”

James Bond Nederland bedankt Martin Koolhoven hartelijk voor alle tijd en moeite die hij stak in dit interview.

Klik hier om het eerste deel van dit interview terug te lezen.

Het bericht Interview: Regisseur Martin Koolhoven (2) verscheen eerst op James Bond Nederland.

Scroll down for the English interview

De 25^e Bond-film is de eerste grote blockbuster voor de Amerikaanse regisseur Cary Joji Fukunaga. Wat kunnen we verwachten van deze film? En andere films die op de planning staan? Hoe staat de 007-franchise er nu voor? En is regisseren nou daadwerkelijk nog zo idyllisch als veel filmliefhebbers doen voorkomen?

Ik sprak met één van de bekendste Nederlandse regisseurs en tevens zelfverklaard James Bond-fan: Martin Koolhoven (Meervoudig Gouden Kalf-winnaar, waaronder voor Brimstone uit 2016, en presentator van VPRO’s De Kijk Van Koolhoven). We vroegen ‘m zo vlak voor de première van de nieuwe Bond-film natúúrlijk het hemd van z’n lijf. Want ook hij is razend benieuwd naar het eindproduct van zijn collega Fukunaga.

In het uitgebreide tweeluik kwamen verschillende onderwerpen aan de orde, variërend van z’n tijd voorafgaande aan zijn rijke filmcarrière tot aan de fijne kneepjes van het scenarioschrijvers-vak. En van z’n omvangrijke regie-ervaring tot aan andere uitingen van zijn diepgewortelde filmliefde. Om ook buitenlandse Bond-fans een inkijkje te geven in het werk van zowel een regisseur als scenarioschrijver, werd het interview geheel in het Engels gedaan. 

Gert: Dear Martin. It’s a total pleasure to meet you! Sadly, the pandemic is still part of our lives, yet finally we both can indulge in a much needed bit of escapism: Because Corona is not delaying 007 any further! No Time To Die will finally premiere in The Netherlands on September 30^th. Have you booked your tickets already? And where will you watch the film?

Martin Koolhoven: “The Eye Film Museum in Amsterdam will probably play it, don’t you think? I like to see it there!”

Gert: Usually new action blockbusters are not really slated for premieres there. But we will ask them! Talking about the Eye Film Museum & Bond; you can actually watch the magnificent comedy Another Round, with a leading role for Danish actor Mads Mikkelsen. The man who played the desperate Bond villain Le Chiffre in Casino Royale. Talking about Bond. As of late you have been focussing more on conveying your love and passion for cinema. You do that in a very direct way, both as speaker on masterclass events and presenter on Dutch TV shows (De Kijk Van Koolhoven: Koolhoven’s View On Movies). But what special place has the Bond film franchise for you in this larger passion/love for filmmaking? And how has this love been nurtured?

Martin: “I think there are very few true lovers of cinema that don’t have a soft spot for the Bond movies. It’s a relic from the past that has managed to always stay relevant by keeping the tabs on the times. In the beginning the movies were hugely trendsetting, but after a while the franchise also started incorporating trends. So there is always a mixture of nostalgia with the current zeitgeist, presented with state-of-the-art techniques. Bond films can be quite different in tone between themselves, but mostly they are a mixture of silliness ánd seriousness. Some lean more towards the one, others to the other. Still, every coming Bond movie always feels like an event.”

Perhaps a bunch of us will be like the fat sods in WALL●E. But what the hell do I know, do I look like a futurologist…?” 

Gert: Sadly traditional event films have been tremendously tested since March 2020. We are now facing perhaps the most globalized pandemic that Earth has ever witnessed. How does this affect your passion for not just filmmaking, but also for watching the very film results in the 130-year old invention of cinema?

Martin: “True, Corona has affected a lot. But certainly not my love for the movies.” 

Gert: And it should be like that. But society is changing by this event considerably. Take for example the Disney-Pixar animated film WALL●E. In there you eventually see humans being wheeled around by robots, both feeding them, toileting them, ánd even showing them movies. Do you think we are slowly heading towards such a society?

Martin: “I……don’t know. We are already living completely different lives than we did a century ago, don’t we? Just look at the advancement of gyms. I think people 50 years ago would have laughed at the idea of a rowing machine or a cross-trainer. Then again, you don’t see me in the gym. Perhaps a bunch of us will be like the fat sods in WALL●E. But what the hell do I know, do I look like a futurologist…”

Gert: Well, not immediately. But as a filmmaker, and perhaps even before your career as a filmmaker, you have some crystalized opinions about that matter. You actually worked in a sector that has nothing to do with filmmaking, but that has something to do with enhancing the good aspects of society. You worked with mentally disabled people and even prisoners. What experience of that work did you take with you in your later career as director?

Martin: “I think everything you experience affects you as a person and therefore as an artist. It’s hard to pinpoint exactly how it shapes you as a person, but I think it might have influenced how I work with people. I once tried to develop a movie about two intellectual disabled people, but that never materialized. Somebody pointed out to me once that there is a connection between me working in jail and the fact that my characters are often locked up in a place and want to break out, sometimes even literally! I have no idea whether that has anything to do with anything. Maybe. But it could also be the other way around. For example that I worked in a prison because I’m interested in that. And I always feel it’s good that a director has a bit of a life before he starts directing movies. It doesn’t even matter so much what, as long as it is something that lets you taste life outside movies a bit. The most concrete example that working in institutions gave me as a filmmaker is perhaps a joke: I often tell actors I can work with anybody since I have worked with crooks and retards!”

Gert: Haha, that’s perhaps the comedy element you brought into your movies. Let’s expand the question a bit. What about the bigger ‘healing power’ that entertainment in cinema can bring about? Let’s say social gatherings, like cinema, could help reducing mental deficiencies and disabilities, albeit just a tiny bit. Then what should be done if pre-Corona cinema is not returning in the next three years?

Martin: “To be honest Gert, I think cinema can do a lot. But reducing mental deficiencies and disabilities is not among them.”

Gert: And on a smaller scale? You actually tried, shortly after the Corona Pandemic hit The Netherlands, to get a foothold in drive-in cinema. How is that project going right now? Is it a perfect or a slightly flawed alternative for the real cinema experience?

Martin: “That’s right. In the middle of the first lockdown I showed M*A*S*H in the Amsterdam Olympic Stadium for an audience of healthcare workers; watching the film from within their cars. Before the movie started I introduced an hour of interesting or funny scenes with doctors, and that was big fun. We proved this could be done in a responsible way and every politician that I spoke said it was ridiculous we couldn’t do it for more people and claimed if it was up to him or her, we should be allowed to do this more often. Some were even part of the [government] coalition and said they were trying to fix it for me. But nothing has changed. I thought it was a perfect way to give the people some much needed entertainment, in a totally safe way. But nobody dared to make the call. A shame. We never had a drive-in tradition in The Netherlands though, but even before Covid I always felt that that was a shame. Of course I only really know this from American movies, but it always seemed like fun.”

The most concrete example that working in institutions gave me as a filmmaker is perhaps a joke: I often tell actors I can work with anybody since I have worked with crooks and retards.

Gert: Who knows, maybe you are on to something and others will pick up this typical American drive-in tradition. Anyway, back to Bond. No Time To Die will at least bring back some of the real classic cinema feelings. But even then there’s another development: streaming. Streaming services are totally on the rise, even before the pandemic. Do you see chances for a mild Bond spin-off on a streaming platform from Bond’s new co-owner Amazon?

Martin: “I’m sure it could be successful. But I’m afraid James Bond might also lose something. The feeling that something special is about to happen when a new Bond movie arrives might be watered down a bit, making it less an event.”

Gert: And strictly looking at a cinematic spin-off. Looking back on the DC Comics one-off Joker for instance. Do you think there could at least be some room for a spin-off of the S.P.E.C.T.R.E. syndicate…or even Ernst Stavro Blofeld himself?

Martin: “I think they [the producers] will contemplate a spin-off with other agents in the lead. James Bond is something you can do more with than with, let’s say, Indiana Jones. You could do movies with 008, 009, all set in the Bond universe. So It wouldn’t surprise me if they are thinking about a spin-off movie with Lashana Lynch. But Joker is a movie set in an alternative universe; supposedly it even had an ending where he would kill young Bruce Wayne, which would mean in that world there was never going to be a Batman. Hence I don’t see that happening with James Bond; I have a hard time thinking they would ever do something like that with Blofeld. Then again, I never thought they would do a complete reboot either.”

Gert: Let’s scrutinize your most personal films; the films both written and directed by you. Recently I have rewatched your last film, the western Brimstone (2016). In my opinion a western that does not necessarily try to glorify violence or turn it into a visually impressive ‘rain of blood’, but that wants to present the dark violent sides of humanity in all its rawness. This is especially true for the leading ‘villain’ of the film, The Reverend (Guy Pearce), who is committing incest and rape. But was this your aim as well? Showing those dark traits in an unapologetic way?

Martin: “Brimstone is a movie about violence and the consequences it has. So I couldn’t shy away from it being a part of the story. I also don’t think it glorifies violence, because you are never emotionally connected to the aggressor. You always feel for the victim. The violence is never portrayed as fun and it is never a relief. It is actually painful to watch (and by the way, many times you don’t even actually see the violence being inflicted).”

Gert: One of the scenes is almost Bond-esque gritty and violent when Samuel (Kit Harrington) manages to choke Wolf (actor Jack Roth) to death in a toilet. Bond-esque, because in a way James Bond does the same in Casino Royale and Quantum Of Solace. Were you a bit inspired by the unapologetic violence from Fleming’s novels? Or was it mainly an ode to 1950’s westerns?

Martin: “I didn’t think about any of these while I was writing and directing the scene. I remember the strangling scene in No Country For Old Men did cross my mind for a moment when I was writing it.”

Gert: Bond villains have to be a tiny bit larger-than-life compared to the actual leading protagonist. The way Guy Pearce played The Reverend in Brimstone makes me curious about your filmmaking efforts for a future Bond-film. Would you be interested in directing or writing a Bond-like action/spy thriller?

Martin: “I think you should only make an action/spy thriller if you have the budget for it and I wonder if I could ever raise that much money. So, I would only consider it if a studio would ask me to direct it. I would have to love the script and I must have the feeling I have a chance of finishing the movie in a way I am proud of.”

Volgende week deel 2 van dit uitgebreide gesprek met Martin Koolhoven, waarin we verder praten over de staat van de James Bond-franchise en natuurlijk zijn eigen filmprojecten.

Het bericht Interview: Regisseur Martin Koolhoven (1) verscheen eerst op James Bond Nederland.