‘Spectre’: Sam Mendes Blames The Quick Turnaround Time & “Pressure” After ‘Skyfall’ For The Poor Reception Of His Bond Sequel

Sam Mendes is one of the most acclaimed filmmakers working today. It seems that every time he releases a new film, it is in the awards season discussion. That’s exactly what’s happening with his new film, “Empire of Light.” However, that wasn’t the case when his second James Bond film, “Spectre,” was released. Unlike the massively popular “Skyfall,” his Bond followup, “Spectre,” was largely seen as a disappointment. And Mendes seems to have an answer as to why that is the case.

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Speaking to THR, Sam Mendes talked about the immense amount of work that went into the productions of both “Skyfall” and “Spectre,” his two entries in the James Bond franchise. The big difference, in the mind of the director, is just how much time he had to work on each.

You may recall that right as “Skyfall” was set to begin production, everything came to a screeching halt as financial woes at MGM were a concern. This led to nearly a year of downtime where Mendes and his collaborators could really hone in on what they wanted “Skyfall” to look like. Unfortunately, that sort of luxury of time was not afforded him when he needed to do the sequel, “Spectre.”

“These movies are very difficult to write,” he explained. “Those 10 months of downtime, that’s when the script really turned around, because we had the time to go down blind alleys and try things like the [Bond/Silva team-up]. And that time was not afforded to me when we made ‘Spectre.’ And you can see the difference in the script. [With ‘Spectre’], I felt there was some pressure. Certainly [producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson] exerted some pressure on me and Daniel to make the next one, so that makes a big difference. People saying: ‘We want you to do it,’ and passionately wooing me to do it, was a big thing.”

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Of course, even a subpar Sam Mendes movie isn’t totally without merit. “Spectre” is still one of the better James Bond films in the modern era. Not only that, the film earned over $880 million worldwide, which is a very respectable number, to say the least. However, it’s clear there is a bit of regret about the production time given to “Spectre.” That said, when you’re dealing with major blockbuster franchises, the luxury of time is rarely a thing.