Sir Sam Mendes agreed to direct a Bond movie because he wanted to be 'the ... trends now
Sir Sam Mendes has revealed that he agreed to direct a Bond movie because he wanted to be 'the coolest dad at school'.
The Oscar winner, 57, told how he agreed to take charge of Skyfall when Daniel Craig asked him after 'a couple of drinks' at a party hosted by Hugh Jackman.
But the 007 producers were curious why he wanted to do it, given his history of making 'dark, edgy' films rather than blockbusters.
The film pro, who also directed Spectre from the franchise, admitted it was because he wanted to make a movie his children could relate to.
Sweet: Sir Sam Mendes has revealed that he agreed to direct a Bond movie because he wanted to be 'the coolest dad at school'
Speaking to BBC radio 4's This Cultural Life, Sam told of the chance conversation that led to him taking the reins of the 2012 hit.
He said: 'There I was chatting to Daniel, couple of drinks and I said 'Who's going to do the next Bond movie?' And he went 'I don't know, why don't you do it?'
'And I thought 'Yeah'. I said to him, 'Yeah alright'. It sounds ridiculous. Until he said it I hadn't thought about doing it. Then the next morning I woke up and said 'Blimey, I think I agreed to direct a Bond movie last night, I'd better check'.'
Successful: The film pro, who also directed Spectre from the franchise, admitted it was because he wanted to make a movie his children could relate to
Sam - who won an Academy Award for American Beauty - said he then met with producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael Wilson.
He explained: 'They said 'Are you serious?' The only question they wanted to know: 'Why do you want to do this? Why would you, where you are now, having made the movies you've made, want to make a Bond movie?
Sam has a 19 year old son with ex wife Kate Winslet and a five year old daughter with wife Alison Balsom.
The director admitted: 'I said 'I want to be the coolest dad in the school'. Which was true. I wanted to make something that my kids could see and relate to.
'I had just got tired of making edgy dark movies and I felt a bit stuck. That really led to one of the biggest most enjoyable challenges of my life, which was Skyfall, which is a moved I remain proud of and loved doing.'
Pals: The Oscar winner, 57, told how he agreed to take charge of Skyfall when Daniel Craig asked him after 'a couple of drinks' at a party hosted by Hugh Jackman
It comes after it was revealed that actor Lucien Laviscount has caught the eye of James Bond boss Barbara and is being lined up to become the new 007 to replace Daniel Craig .
The debonair Burnley-born actor
