Denis Villeneuve Boards Amazon's First James Bond Film As…

Summary

Denis Villeneuve is set to direct the next James Bond film, bringing a fresh and acclaimed perspective.
Amazon MGM Studios' joint venture with Bond producers signals a new era of creative control and momentum for the franchise.
Villeneuve's attachment to multiple projects may raise questions about his commitment to the Bond film, but Amazon's focus is clear.

Cinephiles around the globe, rejoice! Following years of speculation and turmoil under Amazon's watch, the James Bond franchise's next film finally has a new director and boy, it's a real doozy.

Fans haven't gotten a new entry in the James Bond film franchise since 2021's No Time to Die, and there has been little forward progress in the years since. Given that Daniel Craig's incarnation of the infamous 007 perished at the end of the film, it's safe to say he won't be returning as Bond for another go-around. Craig has seemed somewhat done with the character for years now anyway, as he ventures on to do more character acting work in the future, with the Knives Out films giving him plenty of scenery to chew on in the meantime. In February of this year, Amazon MGM Studios entered a joint venture with James Bond producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson, which gives creative control of the series solely to Amazon MGM. This came after years of strife following Amazon's takeover of MGM in 2022, with Broccoli and Wilson struggling to work with Amazon to get the series moving again. This deal seems to have worked as intended, because Amazon MGM Studios has officially brought a big-name director on board to helm the next James Bond film.

denis villeneuve holding a camera on set, rendezvous with rama sci-fi novel cover art

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By Sandip Kishan Anbuselvan

Deadline is reporting that Amazon MGM Studios has "abruptly announced" that Denis Villeneuve is going to be directing the next 007 film. Villeneuve understandably had a lot to say about stepping into the director's chair for such a massive, storied film franchise. "Some of my earliest movie-going memories are connected to 007," Villeneuve said. "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." Amazon MGM Studios head Mike Hopkins also threw in his two cents: "We are honored that Denis has agreed to direct James Bond’s next chapter. He is a cinematic master, whose filmography speaks for itself... He has delivered compelling worlds, dynamic visuals, complex characters, and—most importantly—the immersive storytelling that global audiences yearn to experience in theaters."

Dune Director Denis Villeneuve Is Set To Helm The Next James Bond Film From Amazon MGM Studios

To say this is a shocking development would be an understatement. Villeneuve already has his hands full with his third Dune film, based on the second book in the venerable sci-fi series, Dune Messiah. The Canadian director is also attached to a new film about Cleopatra, an adaptation of the sci-fi novel Rendezvous with Rama, a drama entitled I'm waiting for you based on the short story of the same name, and an adaptation of the non-fiction book Nuclear War: A Scenario. Now, Villeneuve could obviously end up not directing a single one of these projects (although his stepping away from a third Dune film would be a wild turn of events) as seemingly nothing in Hollywood is ever set in stone. One thing is true here, though: Amazon is not messing around with James Bond anymore.

"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... Thank you to Amazon MGM Studios for their trust." - Denis Villeneuve

It remains to be seen what Amazon ultimately does with the franchise overall. There has been talk over the past few years that they want to spin James Bond out into a connected universe of shows and films based around supporting characters and villains, a la the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It's unclear if this is something diehard fans of 007 really want (probably not) or if Amazon is really that serious about giving Moneypenny, Q, and Felix Leiter their own stand-alone stories. What we do know is that Villeneuve is an exciting choice to direct a James Bond film and that IO Interactive's upcoming video game 007 First Light looks pretty great.