It was announced by the world’s largest e-commerce company, Amazon, MGM Studios, that French-Canadian Oscar-nominated director Denis Villeneuve will direct the next James Bond movie.
The Dune director added in an official statement by the studio that he is a die-hard James Bond fan and intends to honor the tradition of the franchise.
After longtime Bond producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G Wilson stepped back from active roles in February, speculation about the future of the 007 films was rife.
“Some of the earliest movie-going memories in my life are linked to 007. Ever since I have grown up watching James Bond films with my father, starting from Dr. No with Sean Connery. I consider myself an ardent Bond fan. His territory is sacred to me,” Villeneuve said in his statement on Wednesday.
Having garnered worldwide acclaim for his helming of the Dune franchise alongside movies such as Blade Runner 2049 and Arrival, Villeneuve will additionally assume the role of executive producer on the upcoming film.
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Earlier, AmazonMGM announced Villeneuve as director for the upcoming James Bond movie. This vast, untitled project by Eon Productions is indeed the first in the hands of different teammates after all these decades of Broccoli management.
Producers Amy Pascal and David Heyman had previously stated that before casting the Bond, the project would go through screenplay development and finding a director.
Now they are working with one of the most respected blockbuster makers of Hollywood who just delivered two much-lauded Dune films.
An interview clip informed by Villeneuve’s statements has caused him to say that he grew up watching Bond movies.
Broccoli was telling Associated Press in November about the next James Bond actor: “The actor would be around 30, and may be of any race. It will be a man. He’ll likely be in his 30s. Whiteness is not a given.”
The actor needs to be committed to at least a decade’s worth of films.
Apparently, there may have been a lot of furious fighting about 007’s future between Wilson and Broccoli, who handled the franchise for decades as children of the original producer Albert “Cubby” Broccoli; finally, Barbara Broccoli reputedly called the Amazon executives “fucking idiots” over their ideas for franchise spin-offs and a TV series.
Villeneuve admitted to bearing a “massive responsibility” with this new film and was very excited about the challenge.
I have spent an amazing time with my father watching Sean Connery in Dr No, a driving James Bond series. The Bond fandom is deep in me. It is sacred territory,” he stated.
“I mean to respect the tradition and set forth a pathway for many new assignments to come.”
He said, “Amy Pascal (producer of Spider-Man) and David Heyman (producer of Harry Potter) producers are producing [Bond], and we are very happy to bring him back to the screen.”
Mike Hopkins, head of Amazon MGM Studios, called Villeneuve “a cinematic master” with the ability to present “immersive storytelling” to the global audience.
It is not yet known when the next Bond film will be released, as an actor to fill the persona of the spy has yet to be found.
The passage of rumours names British actors Aaron Taylor-Johnson and James Norton as frontrunners for the role, with Irish actor Paul Mescal’s name also being thrown into the mix.
The initial flurry of acclaim all, of it due to Sicario, Prisoners, and Incendies, opened the opportunity for him.
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He became nominated for the Oscars for direction for the very first time with Arrival in 2016.
Most recently, the blockbuster hits Dune and Dune: Part Two combined their box office collections to the tune of $1 billion, with both films also getting nominated in the Best Picture category in their respective years.
Villeneuve is expected to begin shooting Dune Messiah, the third film in the Dune franchise, late this year and could be released in 2026.
