Bond 26 Is Still On The Way Eventually, So Here's What We Know About The Next Era Of James Bond

James Bond 26, or Bond 26 as it’s more commonly known, has started to come together, but there are also still a lot of questions about what is sure to be a very different Bond experience. When we first wrote about it here back in July of 2024, things were very different, to say the least. We didn’t much then, and while we do know a little more now, it’s mostly the seismic shift in the whole franchise’s makeup.

The upcoming continuation of the James Bond movie legacy will not be led by the Broccoli family or Eon Productions, at least, solely. In February 2025, Barbara Broccoli and her brother Michael G. Wilson, who have carried on the family legacy started by their father, Albert Broccoli, in producing the James Bond movies, sold control of the iconic franchise to Amazon. What that means for James Bond 26, and indeed, the entire cinematic universe of the superspy, is a bit of a black box at the moment, but we do have some key updates.

Denis Villeneuve Will Direct James Bond 26

The biggest answer we have now is that the next James Bond movie will be helmed by director Denis Villeneuve. In June, Amazon announced that the Canadian director will begin working on Bond 26 as soon as he wraps production on another sequel in a now-iconic franchise, Dune: Part Three. This is, of course, great news for Bond fans, knowing that the series will be in the capable hands of the Academy Award-nominated director.

Bond 26 Will Be Written By Peaky Blinders Creator Steven Knight

Not only does Bond 26 have a heavyweight director, but it’ll be written by the creator of Peaky Blinders and House of Guinness, both of which you can watch now with a Netflix subscription. It’s another comfort to know that the martini-loving Bond will have solid writing behind him, although some of the rumors point to an origin story, which, if I’m honest, I’m not super psyched about. However, I will trust that Knight will get the story right, whatever it is.

Who Will Play James Bond? How About The Rest Of The Cast?

The number one question on fans’ minds is who will follow Daniel Craig as James Bond? To that, no one has any answers. There have been a ton of rumors, of course. Names like Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Henry Cavill, Idris Elba, Tom Hardy, and Timothée Chalamet are just a few that have been tossed around as possible successors to the Craig Era.

However, the latest news seems to indicate that it could be a younger, unknown actor who takes on the role. According to one report at least, Villeneuve and Co. are looking to revamp absolutely everything. A new spy, a new era. We’ll be sure to update this the moment a new Bond is named; we can’t wait, either.

As for the rest of the cast, like M, Moneypenny, Q, and even who the next “Bond Girl” could be, well, those are all questions that we’ll likely see answered after Bond is named, and it will probably be a few months before there is any news at all. Perhaps much longer.

What Is Bond 26’s Release Date?

This is the other big question. Villeneuve is currently shooting the final installment of his Dune trilogy, which is scheduled to be released a year from December as part of the 2026 movie schedule. How long production and post-production will take on Dune: Part Three is anyone’s guess, but it’s safe to assume that the earliest Villeneuve might get started on Bond is at least a year out, or more. Deadline has reported that production will likely start sometime in 2027.

What does that mean for the release date? Unfortunately for us Bond fans, it means sometime in 2028 is probably the next time we’ll see the spy with a license to kill on the big screen. That means it’ll officially be the longest delay between James Bond movies, as No Time To Die came out in 2021. That honor is currently held by the roughly six years between License to Kill and Goldeneye, as well as Spectre and No Time To Die.

So, it’s going to be a while. Of course, there are still 25 previous Bond films to enjoy with a Prime subscription. James Bond 26 will be huge, so as we learn more, we’ll keep updating this with all the latest news.