Axed James Bond director says producers 'lost confidence' in his 007 film and backs Robert Pattinson for next Bond

• Danny Boyle said his axed James Bond film was set in Russia.
• The director said James Bond producers "lost confidence" in his film.

British filmmaker Danny Boyle discussed the plot and location of the James Bond film he was slated to make in 2018 before he left the franchise, as well as the actor he thinks is best placed to take over the 007 role in a new interview with Esquire magazine.

Boyle — who was named as the next Bond director in 2018 before leaving the project due to creative differences with longtime producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson — spoke about his initial discomfort with the mechanics of franchise filmmaking when he was offered the job as Bond director.

"I remember thinking, 'Should I really get involved in franchises?' Because they don't really want something different," Boyle told Esquire. "They want you to freshen it up a bit, but not really challenge it, and we wanted to do something different with it."

The director, who is best known for subversive hits such as "Trainspotting" and "Slumdog Millionaire," also discussed the narrative arc he had planned for Bond and the circumstances that ultimately sparked his exit from the franchise.

"Weirdly — it would have been very topical now — it was all set in Russia, which is of course where Bond came from, out of the Cold War," Boyle said. "It was set in present-day Russia and went back to his origins, and they just lost, what's the word…they just lost confidence in it. It was a shame really."

After Boyle's exit "True Detective" filmmaker Cary Joji Fukunaga was drafted in to direct the 25th Bond film that would later be known as "No Time To Die."

When asked whether he would consider returning to the Bond franchise, Boyle said "I don't think so," before offering his own personal opinions on which actors he believes are best suited to take over the role of 007 from Daniel Craig.

The veteran director cited Paapa Essiedu — a breakout from Michaela Coel's hit show "I May Destroy You" — as well as "The Batman" star Robert Pattinson — who he said "would be a great Bond" — as his favorites for the role.

Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson, the longtime producers of the Bond franchise, have been tight-lipped about who is on the shortlist to take up the 007 role. In an article last year, Variety reported that Tom Hardy, Henry Cavill, Idris Elba, and even "Euphoria" star Jacob Elordi have been discussed in relation to the role.

However, as Insider previously reported, Broccoli did tell The Hollywood Reporter in a recent profile that James Bond will continue to be played by a man.

"I think it will be a man because I don't think a woman should play James Bond," she told the outlet. "I believe in making characters for women and not just having women play men's roles."