Director Danny Boyle may have decided to exit "Bond 25," but that doesn't mean he was happy about it. Reflecting on the situation in a recent Empire interview, he called it "a great shame."

Boyle wasn't with the Bond series very long. "Bond 25" was to be his first film in the franchise, and he was confirmed to have signed on in May. However, as Deadline reported at the time, he wanted to direct only if Universal Pictures went with his concept. He and his writing partner John Hodge did work on the script, but creative differences arose between them and producers, and in August, Boyle left the project.

Post-departure, Boyle told Empire that his Bond film would have been "really good," but since producers weren't on board, they parted ways. He added that "it is just a great shame." In spite of how it played out, Boyle says he gave new "Bond 25" director Cary Joji Fukunaga his best wishes.

Fukunaga has been hard at work now that he has taken the job. The film has been filling out its cast, and so far, the likes of Oscar winners Lupita Nyong'o and Rami Malek are said to be front-runners to join Daniel Craig in the film.

"Bond 25" is schedule to hit theaters April 8, 2020, while Danny Boyle's next film, "Yesterday," will premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival in May.

[via: Empire]