How the Coen brothers cost a James Bond movie its director: “Some films I prefer to watch and not do”
Within the film industry, there are many creatives with conflicting feelings over directing or starring in franchise movies, with actors like Timothée Chalamet sharing how he was told to stay away from Marvel and directors like Barry Jenkins being lured into the world of studio filmmaking with the upcoming The Lion King sequel. It’s remained a heated subject ever since Martin Scorsese described the films made by Marvel as ‘theme park pictures and declaratively labelled them as ‘not being cinema’. Because of this, there is now an increased divide between studio and independent directors and a pressure for them to work within one camp, with more scrutiny over each project and what this says about their creative integrity.
However, there are some directors who have been able to bridge the gap between arthouse and franchise films, with Alfonso Cuarón sharing his creative philosophy and why this led him to turn down a Bond film.
Many directors have translated the slick world of James Bond with their own twists and takes on the spy thriller, with the likes of Sam Mendes, Martin Campbell, and Guy Hamilton putting their spin on the story. In recent years, the franchise has attempted to evolve by infusing elements of arthouse cinema, with Casino Royale resembling the beginning of a new direction for the series with a darker and more emotionally complex take on the titular character.
While the studio heads have actively tried to convince us that commercial films can also take creative risks and stray from the formulaic storytelling we associate with them, they are ultimately created to serve mass audiences. Naturally, this will mean that the directors have to stick to certain guidelines and rules, and in some ways, this is why Alfonso Cuarón turned down the chance to direct one of the films.
Cuarón has a had a truly one-of-a-kind career that spans from the global success of Gravity and Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, to Roma and Children of Men. But even with such a vast and differing filmography, the director is very selective about the projects he chooses and explains why he decided not to direct one of the Bond films, saying, “Ages ago I was offered a Bond film. And I said, ‘Yeah, cool. Maybe Bond. I am going to do one.’ And then when the process started and I was going to shoot all the dialogue and stuff, there was a [separate] team doing all the action scenes. It kind of felt very weird. I was troubled about the idea of doing it. I had dinner with Joel Coen, and I said, ‘Joel, what do you think of Bond?’ And he said, ‘Oh cool, I enjoy Bond.’ I said, ‘Would you do a Bond film?”
According to Cuarón, Coen offered some advice that then shaped his selection process for future projects, saying, with the writer-director replying, “It probably falls into the category of a film I want to watch but not do.” Cuarón reflected on this, saying, “There I learned the lesson that some films I prefer to watch and not do.”
Ultimately, this is something that many filmmakers have to juggle; balancing the desire to be a part of something new and recognising when they are not the right person for the type of story it might be. Cuarón might love the franchise as a viewer, but his style would arguably not translate or work well within the confines of the genre and such a well-loved character with very opinionated audiences. It seems as though this decision was for the best, and all thanks to some worldly advice from Joel Coen.
