While it’s still not clear exactly who will play James Bond in this next era for the iconic MI6 agent, we at least know who’ll be at the helm when he returns to our screens.
On Wednesday evening, Amazon MGM – the studio who acquired full creative control of the 007 series earlier this year – announced that the next Bond movie will be directed by Denis Villeneuve.
Fresh from landing his fourth Oscar nomination earlier this year for his work on Dune: Part Two, the Canadian filmmaker enthused: “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.”
Denis added: “I intend to honour 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 honour.”
Denis Villeneuve at the Oscars earlier this yearThese days, Denis is best known for his work in the sci-fi space, having directed the likes of Arrival, Blade Runner 2049 and the Dune films in the last decade.
A third Dune movie – Dune: Messiah – is about to start shooting, with Denis once again on directing duties, while The Guardian pointed out that he has several other sci-fi movies in the pipeline.
It had been rumoured that recent Oscar winner Christopher Nolan was in the running to direct the next Bond film, which will be the first since Daniel Craig’s departure from the series, though this turned out not to be the case.
Of course, we next need to find out who exactly will be taking over in the role of 007.
A host of British stars have been reported to be in consideration for the highly coveted role, including Tom Hardy, James Norton and Bridgerton’s Regé-Jean Page.
The current frontrunner is still thought to be Aaron Taylor-Johnson, with several clues in the last few weeks pointing to him taking on the legendary part.
READ MORE:
