I know what people are saying when they say "I prefer quality over quantity", and so do I. But time gaps between films don't necessarily mean quality. They can do, but it's not always the case. For eg, DAD came out 3 years after TWINE, and we all know how loved DAD was.
I like Mendes and think he did an excellent job in SF, but there's hundreds of other great directors that could have directed bond 24 and would have probably loved to as well. If they want Mendes that bad, then they could have tried him for bond 25 whilst someone else does bond 24. But then again they may have no longer wanted him at that point as someone else (possibly the bond 24 director) could be on their wish-list instead, but that's still ok, because EON would still get what they want either way.
When it comes down to it, the series is bigger than the director.
