Boxoffice - August 2019

a diverse slate. So you could have a movie like Vice
or Sorry to Bother You, as well as movies like Creed
or James Bond.
You must be very proud of what has happened
during your tenure with the James Bond
series—it’s bigger than ever. What’s the secret
to its revival?
I think that it all goes back to [longtime
producers] Michael Wilson and Barbara Broccoli,
who are committed to not making the same
movie twice and to changing with the times and
to pushing the boundaries. They know there’s an
audience that loves James Bond and wants them to
deliver on what the promise of a James Bond film
is, but they’re also willing to push it, whether it’s in
terms of the directors—an Academy Award–winning
director like Sam Mendes or Cary Fukunaga,
the first American-born [Bond] filmmaker—or in
terms of cast, whether it’s Javier Bardem or Rami
Malek, both Academy Award winners, [the kind of
talent] who weren’t traditionally involved in Bond
movies of the past. There’s certainly a lot to talk
about regarding the realpolitik in the world right
now, so there are thematic issues that keep it modern.
But also Barbara and Michael are very intent
on making sure that the films stay modern in how
they look and in terms of how they’re cast—there’s
a very diverse cast in this [new] picture, because
clearly the audience wants to see themselves represented.
They just keep pushing it forward and don’t
rest on their laurels.
Do you have a long-range vision for the
franchise beyond its star, Daniel Craig?
Well, again, it’s Barbara and Michael’s [franchise]—almost
like On Her Majesty’s Secret Service,
where I sort of serve at the pleasure of those two
as to when they want to make films. I think they
certainly do not see any imminent end to the
franchise—they want to keep it going and going
and going. And the good news is that they are
willing to push and take the chances that allowed
the franchise to continue to evolve and not become
stale. So any time they want to make a movie, we’re
here to make it—they don’t have to worry about
finding a partner with us on it. But ultimately they
have the creative say about when they’re ready to
do it. And that is the United Artists spirit—obviously,
this was a United Artists deal that Albert
Broccoli made with Arthur Krim back in the early
’60s, but we have had that spirit with quite a lot of
the filmmakers who made these movies, whether
it’s Irwin Winkler or Barbara and Michael or
Walter Mirisch. These are the producers that built
United Artists, and they did so by having a strong
voice regarding what made a movie great and what
made a movie relevant, and it isn’t lost on us. And
I’m fortunate enough to continue to work with
all three of those teams, as well as many more that
built this studio. It’s a privilege, and there’s a lot of
responsibility to making sure that the tradition that
those guys created is still [maintained] here.
I’m sure another point of pride for you is how
the whole Rocky franchise was reimagined in a
MICHAEL B. JORDAN AS
ADONIS CREED
AUGUST 2019
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