Denis Villeneuve to direct new James Bond film
The Canadian filmmaker and four-time Academy Award nominee has earned both critical acclaim and box office success with the Dune franchise, as well as with Prisoners, Blade Runner 2049 and Arrival.
In a statement, Villeneuve described himself as a 'die-hard' James Bond fan.
'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,' he said.
'I'm a die-hard Bond fan. To me, he's sacred territory. 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.'
Amazon MGM Studios sets Denis Villeneuve as director of next James Bond film.
Villeneuve will also serve as executive producer, alongside Tanya Lapointe. As previously announced, Amy Pascal and David Heyman will serve as producers. pic.twitter.com/KQ3dmXNBLV
— Amazon MGM Studios (@AmazonMGMStudio) June 26, 2025
Villeneuve will also serve as executive producer, alongside his wife Tanya Lapointe.
It marks the latest step in a major overhaul of the iconic British spy franchise, following Barbara Broccoli and Michael G Wilson handing over creative control to Amazon MGM Studios as part of a lucrative deal.
Under the terms of the agreement, the Broccoli family, long the force behind the Bond films, agreed to co-own the intellectual property and granted Amazon the ability to move forward without their creative approval.
In March, Spider-Man's Amy Pascal and Harry Potter's David Heyman were announced as new producers.
The pair have consistently maintained that they would secure a director and develop a screenplay before casting the next super spy.
Mike Hopkins, head of Prime Video and Amazon MGM Studios, said he was 'honoured' to have the acclaimed director on board.
'He is a cinematic master, whose filmography speaks for itself. From Blade Runner 2049 to Arrival to the Dune films, he has delivered compelling worlds, dynamic visuals, complex characters, and—most importantly—the immersive storytelling that global audiences yearn to experience in theatres,' he said.
'James Bond is in the hands of one of today's greatest filmmakers and we cannot wait to get started on 007's next adventure.'
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2 hours ago
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Denis Villeneuve threatens to overshadow the new James Bond
The Amazon/MGM era of James Bond has taken a significant step towards getting the next iteration of Ian Fleming's famous secret agent to the big screen. They've announced Denis Villeneuve as the director of Bond 26. Villeneuve is a name that many film fans will know and love, with the French-Canadian filmmaker being behind the recent – and very successful – Dune adaptations, as well as some of the most well-regarded movies of the 21st century, from Blade Runner 2049 to Arrival (for which he received an Oscar nomination for Best Director). His appointment should be cause for celebration; he's one of the most distinct directors of recent memory, offering movies filled with striking visual grandeur, nerve-shredding tension, as well as a flair for directing subtle and stirring performances from his casts. He is unquestionably an excellent filmmaker, so why am I left with a sense of doubt over his selection to be the next Bond director? Put simply, I think the stature and appeal of Villeneuve as an auteur filmmaker threatens to overshadow what will be the introduction of a brand new actor as James Bond. First things first: I love Denis. Making a difficult text like Dune into a mainstream cinematic success was a miraculous feat, and I've been a keen follower of his work since Prisoners caught my eye with its hypnotically dark atmosphere. I am also a James Bond fan. It was the first franchise I can remember falling in love with, and I have always enjoyed coming back to it for several reasons. There's the action, the cars and the gadgets, the corny one-liners, but it is also a fascinating time capsule. Being over 60 years old allows the series to act as a reflection of the moods and preferences of movie-going audiences across generations. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video It is also a franchise that has, from quite early on, always been open to reinvention, and a lot of that comes from the casting of a new actor as Ian Fleming's James Bond 007. When it comes to a new Bond, the build-up to the reveal has always been a hot topic of conversation, just as it is right now. And the reveal itself is even more contentious. Daniel Craig, who is now regarded by many to be the best Bond behind Sean Connery, became the centre of a 'Craig Not Bond' campaign that complained Craig was too blonde when he was announced in 2005. Craig went on to make the role his own with Casino Royale, which was directed by Martin Campbell, who had also been at the helm for the debut of Pierce Brosnan's Bond in 1995's GoldenEye. Timothy Dalton's first Bond – The Living Daylights – was directed by the steady hand of John Glen, who had directed the three previous entries in the franchise. Roger Moore's introduction – Live and Let Die – was likewise directed by a franchise veteran Guy Hamilton. These are all directors who had proven chops either in the genre or within the franchise – journeyman directors if you will – and paved the way to let the personality of the actor selected to enter the gun barrel. Craig would go on to work with more prestige filmmakers in his run as Bond as he became more hands-on with the direction of the series (like Oscar winner Sam Mendes and Emmy-winner Cary Joji Fukunaga) but only once his take on the character was firmly established. There is something to be said about handing the keys to someone less distinguished and focus instead on a steady pair of hands who can deliver action and let the Bond brand do a lot of the heavy lifting when it comes to marketing. 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Villeneuve's aesthetic (grounded, precise, atmospheric) isn't miles away from what Mendes or Fukunaga brought to the table (Villeneuve has even worked with Mendes' regular director of photography, Roger Deakins, multiple times before, too). Those hoping for a Bond that airs more back towards a campy tongue-in-cheek tone after the harder-edged Craig era will most likely not be getting that with Villeneuve. I'm also a little disappointed that Villeneuve isn't escaping franchise filmmaking for his post-Dune project. More Trending Bond 26 will follow after his third Dune movie – Messiah, set for release next year – with his previous credit before Dune having been the legacy sequel Blade Runner 2049. While it has been largely exciting to see him play in these worlds, it's a shame that one of the most visually striking filmmakers of the past 25 years isn't providing much in the way of original storytelling. 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