David Fincher

Past form: Zodiac, Panic Room

Why he could be great: While he toned down some of his CG-fuelled tics and tricks for Zodiac, we’d kill to see a Bond that displays the full-on, Panic Room-style bugnuttery that an unleashed Fincher could deliver.

Sample Bondage: Bond crashes and smashes through several stories of a skyscraper as the camera flies around, across, behind and – in one virtuoso moment – inside our hero for the full throat-to-colon shot.

Plus, think about it: Fincher getting to bring his own chosen creative team to design the credits sequence. The mind boggles.

Mike Leigh

Past form: Vera Drake, Happy-Go-Lucky

Why he could be great: Since he’s never tried his hand at anything like a Bond film, this would be something to see.

And you’ve got to wonder just what the man who has made a career from socio-political, character-based dramas would do with 007.

Sample Bondage: Ditching the carefully crafted script, Leigh workshops every scene – including the set pieces with Craig and the rest of the cast.

The snootiest newspaper critics in the land delight in a 15-minute scene in which Bond shops for the right gun, managing to touch on the ethical concerns with quiet subtlety.