After strong indications that Academy Award winning director Sam Mendes would return to direct Bond 24, the director of Skyfall told Empire magazine recently he would not be coming back. Mendes said the decision was very difficult and that he was extended a generous offer. However, Mendes has several projects he's focused on right now, including King Lear, that require his full attention over the next year.
I have to say I respect a director who one: doesn't want to shortchange his current projects and make them suffer in pursuit of something shinier and two: doesn't let a "generous offer" (read "ass load of cash") sway him from his artistic integrity.
While I'm sad that Mendes will not return (at least not for the next one) one of appeals about the franchise is that usually there is a different director with each movie. Consequently, the audience receives different perspectives and styles but the same Bond. Regardless of who directs* the next installment though, they have some titanic shoes to fill.
*Possible dream directors for me would be Steven Spielberg, Kathryn Bigelow, or Christopher Nolan. Steven Spielberg said he always wanted to direct a James Bond film, Kathryn Bigelow would be a fantastic choice for the first female Bond director, and Christopher Nolan is, well, Christopher Nolan.
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