A spokesperson for the company confirmed Bond’s exit, which is due to creative differences. Those differences may be a result of the movie’s accelerated schedule and Bond only coming aboard in August. One insider said prep time was a factor. Bond, a commercials director, was making the leap from the dramatic indie world — he directed the well-regarded Shia LaBeouf drama Charlie Countryman — to the big-budget action world.

London is to begin shooting at the end of October, lensing for four weeks with principals Morgan Freeman, Aaron Eckhart, Angela Bassett and Melissa Leo.

The production will then pause before picking up again in February, this time with star Gerard Butler, and shoot until April. The two-phase shoot is to accommodate Butler, who is currently filming Geostorm for Warner Bros. and Skydance.

Sources say that Millennium hopes to have a new director in the next 72 hours, with Mark Gill and Butler hunkering down to look at candidates.

Despite the differences, the parting of ways is described as amicable.