Cary Joji Fukunaga was originally supposed to direct the 2017 box-office hit "It." However, because of creative differences with the movie's studio, Warner Bros., Fukunaga walked away (he still has a writing credit on the movie). He admitted to Business Insider that to this day he still has not seen "It." Warner Bros.' "It," the latest adaptation of the Stephen King classic novel, turned out to be one of the surprise box-office hits of 2017, as the movie took in a huge $700 million worldwide (it was only made for around $35 million). It had the biggest September domestic opening weekend of all time with $123.4 million. And that all might be partly why director Cary Joji Fukunaga has never seen the movie. Though Fukunaga has a screenwriter credit on it, he was originally supposed to direct the movie for the studio as well. However, after constant clashes with the studio, Fukunaga finally walked away from the project in 2015, after close to three years developing and writing the script. Neither side seems to have regretted the split. Along with a major box-office take, Warner Bros. and the eventual "It" director Andy Muschietti ("Mama") are currently making the sequel, "It: Chapter Two." On Friday, Fukunaga released his anticipated Netflix series, "Maniac," starring Jonah Hill and Emma Stone. And on Thursday, it was announced Fukunaga is going to direct James Bond 25. Cary Joji Fukunaga. Eamonn M. McCormack/Getty Despite all that, Fukunaga isn't just a bit curious how the movie came out? "I just think it's no longer mine anymore, so it's like, I will watch it one day," Fukunaga told Business Insider, while doing press for "Maniac." "I'm not opposed to it." Fukunaga said he just hasn't got around to it yet. He also admitted the best place to watch it would be where there are no distractions, like watching it on a plane. "Exactly! A place where I'm a captive audience," he said.<doc-sep>Craig has been wanting to do his own version of "From Russia with Love," and now he'll get the chance. What Daniel Craig wants, Daniel Craig gets. And what he wants is to make his own version of “From Russia with Love” (1963), arguably the best of the James Bond movies and Sean Connery’s favorite. And now, with the signing of Cary Fukunaga as director, it looks like Craig’s going to pull it off for his fifth and final outing as 007. With the sudden departure of director Danny Boyle, “Bond 25” is now on track with only a three-month delay. Production begins March 4, 2019 in London, with MGM setting a February 14, 2020 release date. What a nice Valentine’s Day present. Read More:Cary Fukunaga to Direct Bond 25 With Daniel Craig, Becoming the Franchise’s First American Director It’s been a complicated journey to make “Bond 25,” beset by all sorts of unprecedented twists and turns for the longest-running movie franchise. Go-to Bond scribes Neal Purvis and Robert Wade delivered a treatment to keep Bond relevant and to ensure Craig’s involvement. But then Boyle and his “Trainspotting” franchise collaborator John Hodge pitched a more tantalizing idea about reviving the Cold War with a wild twist. It seemed to be the modern “From Russia with Love” Craig was seeking. Hodge wrote the script, incorporating elements of the Purvis & Wade treatment, but there was a parting of the ways in pre-production when they reached a creative impasse. Back came Purvis & Wade to solve the impasse and in stepped Fukunaga — the first American director in franchise history. At 41, Fukunaga is an eclectic and idiosyncratic indie director and cinematographer, who has brought an audacious visual style to gritty action-adventure (“Sin Nombre”), moody romanticism (“Jane Eyre”), and harrowing warfare (“Beasts of No Nation”). In addition, Fukunaga earned an Emmy for directing the first season of “True Detective,” the neo-noir known for the famous six-minute single take on the “Who Goes There” episode. In his latest series, “Maniac” (streaming September 21 on Netflix), he reveals a penchant for surreal hijinks with Emma Stone and Jonah Hill. Vianney Le Caer/Invision/AP/REX/Shutterstock Which is to say, that Fukunaga is tailor-made for ending Craig’s tenure as Bond with style, smarts, and visceral action. “I’ve wanted to do one of these [Bond films] for a long time, so that’s not new,” Fukunaga told IndieWire. “So right now it’s just kind of dealing with the shock that it’s real and the honor obviously and now the responsibility.” Read More:Bond 25: Why Cary Fukunaga Is the Perfect Director to Take on the Franchise Without Selling Out — Analysis As other art-house directors have learned — Sam Mendes (“Spectre,” “Skyfall”), Marc Forster (“Quantum of Solace”), Lee Tamahori (“Die Another Day”), and Michael Apted (“The World Is Not Enough”) — the trick is to bend, but not break Bond, and that’s where Boyle overstepped his bounds. The same thing happened to writer Peter Morgan (“The Crown”), when Craig approached him to write a “From Russia with Love”-inspired treatment. Morgan delivered “Once Upon a Spy,” in which Judi Dench’s M is blackmailed by a ghost from her Cold War past, exposing a secret love affair with a Soviet spy, which threatens to topple MI6, forcing Bond to kill his boss and maternal figure. Productio/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock When the story proved too subversive, Morgan was dismissed, but the project evolved into “Skyfall.” Craig would have to wait for his “From Russia with Love.” Although we don’t yet know details about the script for “Bond 25,” one thing’s for certain: It’s never just about the mission. There’s always something personal at stake. But maybe this last time, Craig’s Bond won’t be burdened with emotional baggage or the need to go rogue or seek revenge. Craig’s Bond can combat Russia’s cyber warfare and global meddling with intelligence and muscle. And even greater insight, since Craig recently paid a visit to the CIA to see first-hand how intelligence gathering is conducted in the real world. Then again, maybe Craig’s Bond can finally have some fun, too, while bidding farewell to 007: the superspy who’s become the venerable “half-monk, half-hitman.” Sign Up: Stay on top of the latest breaking film and TV news! Sign up for our Email Newsletters here.<doc-sep>
"Maniac" director Cary Joji Fukunaga made it clear while speaking to Business Insider that if Netflix does a second season of the show, he will not be a part of it. This is similar to his work on HBO's "True Detective," in which he directed all the episodes of the first season and then walked away. If there turns out to be a second season of "Maniac" on Netflix , Cary Joji Fukunaga will not be at the helm. The latest project from the in-demand director launched on the streaming giant on Friday. Very loosely based on the Norwegian TV show of the same name, Jonah Hill and Emma Stone play two strangers who meet at a facility that's doing a pharmaceutical trial. This leads the two on fantastical hallucinations to erase the bad that's inside them. It's still unclear if Netflix even has plans to do a second season, but Fukunaga is already making it clear that this for him is one-and-done. Jonah Hill and Emma Stone in the Netflix series "Maniac." Netflix "For me, I like to do one and move onto something else," Fukunaga told Business Insider. "I'd be very happy if another season were to happen, but I think they were just thinking about this as a limited season and if there's an appetite for another one then I think [show creator] Patrick [Somerville] would be happy to take it up and do it again. But not with me." This is not the first time Fukunaga has dazzled us with a visually stunning limited series and then walked away. He did the same thing on the hit HBO show, "True Detective." But you can't fault the director for taking this stance. He's one of the most sought-after filmmakers working today. That was made evident on Thursday when it was announced that Fukunaga would be taking over the reins of James Bond 25. It makes sense for him to continue to keep his options open.