In a surprise move, Danny Boyle has exited “Bond 25” due to creative differences. 
 
 “Michael G. Wilson, Barbara Broccoli, and Daniel Craig today announced that due to creative differences, Danny Boyle has decided to no longer direct Bond 25,” the 007 Twitter account posted on Tuesday. 
 
 Michael G. Wilson, Barbara Broccoli and Daniel Craig today announced that due to creative differences Danny Boyle has decided to no longer direct Bond 25. pic.twitter.com/0Thl116eAd — James Bond (@007) August 21, 2018 
 
 MGM is releasing domestically through their joint venture with Annapurna Pictures and had dated the film for Nov. 8, 2019, with Universal handling international rights. It is unknown whether Boyle’s exit will have any effect on the release date or production, which was expected to begin in December. Universal was set to release the film in the U.K. on Oct 25, 2019. 
 
 Sources tell Variety that Eon and Boyle were in the early stages of casting the new Bond girl and villain prior to the December production start. Producers will now act quickly to find Boyle’s replacement. 
 
 Prior to Boyle’s hiring, David Mackenzie, Denis Villeneuve, and “White Boy Rick” helmer Yann Demange were in contention for the job. 
 
 Variety first reported that Boyle was high on MGM’s list to direct the pic. He had long been in MGM and Eon’s sights to board a James Bond movie, dating back to 2012’s “Skyfall” and 2015’s “Spectre.” 
 
 Sam Mendes directed the previous two installments, which became the highest-grossing movies in the series, with “Skyfall” hauling $1.1 billion globally and “Spectre” earning $880.7 million at the worldwide box office. Mendes said after the most recent Bond movie, he would not continue directing films in the 007 series. 
 
 RELATED VIDEO: ||||| Danny Boyle will no longer be leading 007 on his next mission. The producers of the James Bond franchise and star Daniel Craig made the announcement Tuesday that Boyle was exiting the project, which he had been set to direct. 
 
 "Michael G. Wilson, Barbara Broccoli and Daniel Craig today announced that due to creative differences Danny Boyle has decided to no longer direct Bond 25," the official James Bond Twitter account tweeted. 
 
 Boyle revealed in March that he was eyeing the next Bond film, which he was set to tackle after directing an untitled comedy starring Lily James and Kate McKinnon, which opens in September 2019. The filmmaker is a longtime 007 fan, and included Craig’s Bond in the opening of the 2012 London Olympics, which Boyle directed. Boyle's Trainspotting collaborator John Hodge was writing a script for the next Bond pic based on an idea from the helmer. A previous draft was written by Neal Purvis and Robert Wade, who penned Craig's Casino Royale, Quantum of Solace, Skyfall and Spectre. 
 
 The director shake-up comes as developments in the Bond franchise continue to capture the public's attention. The next Bond is expected to be Craig's last as the secret agent, and speculation about who could replace him after Bond 25 sets the internet ablaze on a semi-regular basis. Upon being tapped as director, Boyle was seen by some as a natural choice, due to his Oscar pedigree as the filmmaker behind Slumdog Millionaire and 127 Hours. But it was also viewed as a surprise, given that the filmmaker, who had avoided franchises in the past, would board the Bond machine after crafting idiosyncratic genre films such as 28 Days Later and Sunshine. 
 
 Production on the next James Bond film is currently set to begin in December for a U.S. release date of Nov. 8, 2019. It is scheduled to hit the U.K. on Oct. 25, 2019. Universal is distributing the film internationally, while MGM, which is making the movie with Eon Productions, is handling domestic rights. 
 
 Sam Mendes directed the previous two installments of the James Bond series, with 2012's Skyfall earning a franchise best $1.1 billion and 2015's Spectre bringing in $880 million.
– Danny Boyle's tenure as a Bond director ended up being short-lived. The 007 Twitter account on Tuesday announced that "Michael G. Wilson, Barbara Broccoli, and Daniel Craig today announced that due to creative differences, Danny Boyle has decided to no longer direct Bond 25." Wilson and Broccoli are the film's producers. Variety reports MGM had long wanted Boyle to helm a Bond flick; he was selected to fill the shoes emptied by Sam Mendes, who directed 2012's Skyfall and Spectre, which was out three years later. Variety's sources say Eon Productions and Boyle had been in the process of casting the Bond girl and villain for the film, which has been referred to as Bond 25. Production was to start in December with an Oct. 25, 2019, release date in the UK; wider release was to follow two weeks later. No word on whether those dates will shift. The Hollywood Reporter's take: "Boyle was seen as a natural choice thanks to his Oscar pedigree as the filmmaker behind Slumdog Millionaire and 127 Hours. It was also viewed as a surprise that the filmmaker, who had avoided franchises in the past, would board the Bond machine."