Denis Villeneuve Will Direct The Next James Bond Movie

ISLAMABAD, JUNE 26 (ONLINE): For the last eight years now, Denis Villeneuve has been shoulders deep in the sands of Arrakis, bringing his vision of Frank Herbert’s sci-fi epic Dune to life. But with the Quebecois auteur’s Dune: Messiah gearing up to head into production this summer ahead of a December 2026 cinema release, Villeneuve has just booked perhaps the only gig in cinema today bigger than Dune 3. Yes, per Deadline’s reporting, Denis Villeneuve will soon be swapping spice for spies as he has just signed on to direct the next James Bond movie at Amazon MGM Studios.

Earlier this week, industry insider Matt Belloni instigated whispers about Villeneuve’s candidacy for the 007 hotseat with a Puck newsletter piece on potential directors up for Bond 26 — a list that included the likes of Paul King, Edward Berger, and Jonathan Nolan. But now, having taken over creative control of the James Bond franchise and brought in David Heyman and Amy Pascal to produce the first film in a bold new era for MI6’s finest, Amazon has finally found the man to bring Bond back to our screens. And for Villeneuve, whose comfortability working at scale and under immense pressure on projects such as Dune and Blade Runner 2049 will stand him in fine stead for this gig, it sounds like directing a Bond movie is a dream come true.

“Some of my earliest movie-going memories are connected to 007,” said Villeneuve in a statement accompanying Amazon’s surprise announcement. “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.” Added producers Pascal and Heyman in their own statement: “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.”

Where exactly Villeneuve’s Bond booking leaves the ever booked and busy filmmaker’s growing backlog of pipeline projects (Rendezvous With Rama, A Nuclear Scenario, Cleopatra) isn’t exactly clear just yet, but if prior reports from that Puck newsletter are accurate, the 007 timeline is perhaps a little clearer now. According to Belloni, Pascal and Heyman’s plan has been to set a director for Bond 26 this summer, then set about getting the film written, and then actually get stuck into the small matter of casting their new double-oh — all of which should in theory leave ample time for Villeneuve to have locked picture on Dune: Messiah before shifting focus to pre-production on Bond.

So there we have it, folks. Having been shaken by the Broccolis’ exit from the franchise fray and stirred by the arrival of a pair of new producers and an influx of that sweet Amazon moolah, the pieces are starting to fall into place for James Bond’s cinematic return. Now all Denis needs to do is find that instruction manual on how to reassemble a blown-to-smithereens secret agent… chop-chop, there’s just no time to die.