Denis Villeneuve To Direct James Bond Film
Amazon MGM Studios announced that Denis Villeneuve has signed to direct the new James Bond film
It’s official – Denis Villeneuve is the director of the next James Bond film.
Since Eon Films announced they were handing over creative control of the James Bond films (and pretty much everything else relating to 007) to Amazon MGM Studios, Bond fans have anxiously been anticipating news of the next Bond film and what they could possibly expect to see.
Pretty fast it was announced Amy Pascal and David Heyman were signed up to produce the film. Now we know the director – Denis Villeneuve. It’s a pretty major coup and indicates by his selection that Amazon MGM don’t intend to cheap out with their incarnation of Bond. Now that they’re in control of 007’s big-screen adventures, they’re hiring some very A-List talent to make it.
Villeneuve’s filmography is really impressive! Dune Parts One and Two, Blade Runner 2049, Arrival, Sicario, Prisoners. He’s well respected and extremely talented. I figure it’s a given Villeneuve is going to win an Oscar one day.
Along with Villeneuve, it was also announced Tanya Lapointe will serve as executive producer for the next Bond film.
Villeneuve in a statement released by Amazon MGM Studios said, “Some of my earliest movie-going memories are connected to 007. I grew up watching James Bond films with my father, ever since Dr. No with Sean Connery. I’m a die-hard Bond fan. To me, he’s sacred territory. I intend to honor the tradition and open the path for many new missions to come. This is a massive responsibility, but also, incredibly exciting for me and a huge honor. Amy, David, and I are absolutely thrilled to bring him back to the screen. Thank you to Amazon MGM Studios for their trust.”
Mike Hopkins, head of Prime Video and Amazon MGM Studios, commented, “We are honored that Denis has agreed to direct James Bond’s next chapter. He is a cinematic master, whose filmography speaks for itself. From Blade Runner 2049 to Arrival to the Dune films, he has delivered compelling worlds, dynamic visuals, complex characters, and—most importantly—the immersive storytelling that global audiences yearn to experience in theaters. James Bond is in the hands of one of today’s greatest filmmakers and we cannot wait to get started on 007’s next adventure.”
Pascal and Heyman commented, “Denis Villeneuve has been in love with James Bond movies since he was a little boy. It was always his dream to make this movie, and now it’s ours, too. We are lucky to be in the hands of this extraordinary filmmaker.”
Bond fans worldwide immediately began discussing and speculating about this announcement. Personally, I’m feeling pretty positive about the decision. Villeneuve is certainly talented, has an impressive resume and in the past has talked about what a big Bond fan he’s always been. He’s said one of his dreams one day would be to direct a Bond film.
And Villeneuve came close back in 2017, when he was on the list of directors Eon courted for No Time To Die. At the time, he was busy working on Dune and couldn’t commit to it and the directing job went to Cary Joji Fukunaga.
There have been some details about Villeneuve’s Bond directing gig that has been learned:
- He will not have final cut on the film
- He is signed for only one film, not an ongoing franchise commitment
- There is no indication that he will be involved in future Bond projects beyond the one film
One thing we can surmise is the darker, grittier tone the Daniel Craig era of Bond films took, might be continuing with Villeneuve. He has said he was a huge fan of Craig’s Bond with Casino Royale and Skyfall being a pair of his favorite Bond films. He’s also said in the past, whoever is chosen to reboot the series after Craig will have a big challenge to tackle. At the time he said that, he probably had no idea it would actually be him.
Add in, most of Villeneuve’s films have a darker and serious tone, it’s unlikely we’ll be seeing Roger Moore levity in his Bond film. BUT who knows?
Another thing I immediately thought from this announcement was, perhaps we’ll see a return of cinematographer Roger Deakins to the world of 007. Deakins has been a routine collaborator with Villeneuve, shooting Blade Runner 2049, Prisoners and Sicario. Deakins famously shot Skyfall. Maybe he’ll be asked to work again with Villeneuve for his 007 film.
There’s still a lot of unknowns about Bond 26. Like, who’s writing it??? We have no idea. There’s also no indication of who will be cast as the next James Bond. It’s been rumored no casting of actors will happen until the script is finished, so that could be quite some time. Maybe all those rumors of Aaron Taylor-Johnson being cast will come true. Again, who knows for now. I’m sure they’re narrowing the candidates down at this point.
For now, we know we’re getting a Denis Villeneuve Bond film. It might be a good amount of time before we learn when filming is planned to begin or any release dates. Villeneuve is currently working on Dune: Messiah, so he’s not going to be jumping immediately into Bond so soon after this announcement’s been made, but it’s clear that work is gradually progressing for Bond 26.
John about the new producers Amy Pasical and David Heyman, do you think Barbara and Micheal suggested Pasical to Amazon before their departure because they did have an invovlement with her when Sony distributed 4 of the 5 Craig Bond flims?