Denis Villeneuve has become one of those directors where I perk up when I hear about a new project he’s working on. With the exception of Enemy, I’ve seen every one of his films since 2013’s Prisoners, and I was especially impressed with his two-part adaptation of Frank Herbert’s seminal sci-fi novel Dune. So you can imagine my relief when it was confirmed that Villeneuve would return to helm Dune 3, i.e. an adaptation of Dune Messiah. However, if I’m being honest, now I’m way more excited by the news that he’ll be working on the James Bond franchise after that.
Amazon MGM Studios has announced that Denis Villeneuve will direct the next James Bond movie, informally known as Bond 26, as well as executive produce alongside Tanya Lapointe. Amy Pascal and David Herman are also producing. Here’s what Villeneuve said in an official statement:
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.
And with that, my interest in the James Bond franchise just grew significantly. Although I was familiar with the man classified as 007 growing up, I never watched any of the flicks starring Sean Connery, George Lazenby, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton or Pierce Brosnan. Frankly, seeing the Austin Powers trilogy poke fun at the tropes in those movies made me less inclined to check them out. It’s only when Daniel Craig started playing the spy in 2006’s Casino Royale that I finally got invested in the character, watching his journey all the way to the end in 2021’s No Time to Die.
We’re still a long ways off from learning who will play Daniel Craig’s successor in the first James Bond movie to be released since Amazon MGM obtained creative control of the franchise. But now that Denis Villeneuve will be leaving his stamp on Bond 26 once he’s done with Dune 3, I’m more invested in following along with news on its development. Here’s what Amy Pascal and David Heyman said about Villeneuve’s hiring:
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.
Villeneuve was one of four directors who were reported to be in the running for Bond 26 just a few days ago, the other three being Edgar Wright, Jonathan Nolan and Paul King. He’s also expressed interest in directing a James Bond movie stretching way back to when he was doing press for Sicario. If there’s any downside to this James Bond news, it’s that Villeneuve is either no longer directing his movie version of Nuclear War: A Scenario or pushing it way back.
CinemaBlend will continue passing along updates on how Bond 26 is coming along. For now, remember that Denis Villeneuve’s work in Dune and Dune: Part Two can be streamed with a Max subscription, and Dune 3 is expected to be released on December 18, 2026.
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