Sam Mendes back in talks for Bond 24?

Just yesterday it was reported that Sony had identified a shortlist of directors for the 24th instalment of the James Bond franchise, which included Nicolas Winding Refn (Only God Forgives), Ang Lee (Life of Pi), Tom Hooper (Les Miserables), David Yates (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2) and Shane Black (Iron Man 3); however, according to Deadline, Skyfall director Sam Mendes may have made a U-turn on his decision to exit the franchise and has apparently opened talks with Sony and MGM about returning to helm Bond 24.

Back in March, Mendes revealed that he'd opted against directing a second 007 movie due to his theatre commitments, including productions of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and King Lear, which will occupy the Oscar-winner through to next year. However, producers Michael Wilson and Barbara Broccoli have apparently decided to wait for Mendes to work through his stage commitments and are looking at a deal which would see Bond 24 going in to production next year.

Last year's Skyfall became the highest-grossing instalment in the 50 year history of the Bond franchise and is currently the eighth biggest film of all time, with just over $1.1 billion in the bank.