MY MOVIE WEEK with Mike Shaw

Skyfall director Sam Mendes has confirmed he will not direct the next Bond film, even though his was the most successful 007 movie ever.

It seems Mendes’ theatre commitments are key factors in his decision not to return to the franchise, despite the fact that producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli are desperate for him to return.

Mendes said: “It has been a very difficult decision not to accept Michael and Barbara’s very generous offer to direct the next Bond movie. Directing Skyfall was one of the best experiences of my professional life, but I have theatre and other commitments, including productions of Charlie And The Chocolate Factor and King Lear, that need my complete focus over the next year and beyond.”

It’s not terribly surprising to the rest of us though. In an interview last year, Mendes said: “I think there’s a strong possibility that I put everything I ever wanted to put in a Bond movie into this movie.” That’s that, then. Who would you like to see in charge of the next film?

Some people say that Kevin Smith hasn’t produced anything as good as Clerks, his 1994 low-budget, black-and-white slacker comedy.

Of course, those people are wrong, because Clerks 2 was better, and so I am one of the few people who is happy that Smith is returning to Randal and Dante’s story with Clerks 3. For a long time Smith had been saying his cinematic swansong would be hockey movie Hit Somebody, but that project was cut down from two films to one due to financing issues, and then became a TV series.

And so, with his hands free, Smith turned to old friends. Days ago, he posted a photo of the title page for Clerks 3 to Facebook with the following message: “Twenty years ago today, we started shooting Clerks. Twenty years later, with no plan or provocation, I jumped out of bed at 4.20 this morning and started writing Clerks III. It’s been like hanging out with old friends. And after two hours of tapping the keys and giggling, I have come to a conclusion... Clerks III will be the best film I’ll ever make.”

And you know what? I believe him. Smith is at his best when he’s in his comfort zone, with no huge studio pressure, and I expect most of the cast will return too.

It seems fitting that his final film finishes in the universe he started in. Or, as Smith put it: “I’m goin’ out like I came in: devoid of talent AND color!”

Ang Lee’s 2003 film Hulk was on TV over the weekend, did you see it? It reminded me of just what a perfect superhero the Hulk is and what an almost-perfect film it was. However it was commercially unsuccessful. In 2008 came Louis Leterrier’s The Incredible Hulk, a film that – despite having a great cast and loads of explosions – was terrible and seemed to be the nail in the Hulk’s coffin. But last year the big green guy cropped up in the successful The Avengers, with Mark Ruffalo in the leading role.

So, the Hulk has proved he can draw money and there’s an actor in the role that audiences and the studio are happy with. It’s little surprise that talk of a solo outing for Bruce Banner has started up again. However, at the moment it’s unlikely to happen. Ruffalo said via Twitter: “A lot of folks have been asking about the next Hulk. The next time you see my Hulk it will be in The Avengers 2.”

“I am not giving up on another stand alone Hulk,” he continued. “But it’s not in the works right now. One never knows what the future will bring.”

Sounds like we’ll have to make do with seeing Hulk as part of a team, for now, although there’s quite a wait – The Avengers 2 is scheduled to open in the UK on May 1, 2015.

Tarzan rumours

There are some interesting casting rumours surrounding the new Tarzan movie, directed by Harry Potter’s David Yates.

Warner Bros is wooing The Help and Zero Dark Thirty star Jessica Chastain in the hope that she will agree to play Jane, while the studio has its hopes pinned on Alexander Skarsgård as the hero.

The film has been in the works at Warner Bros for a good few years now, and was previously in the hands of Craig Brewer, before Yates was drafted in.

It will be something of a departure from the Tarzan audiences are used to, however, with the new film picking up after the hero has been reintegrated into human society, with the Queen asking him to return to the jungle to investigate a vicious warlord causing havoc in the Congo.

Could be great, could be terrible...definitely one to keep an eye on.