Wow. Almost 4 years after Daniel Craig’s tenure as James Bond got here to a definitive finish in “No Time to Die,” we lastly have a director for the following 007 movie, and in some way, the filmmaker on deck is certainly one of Hollywood’s boldest visionaries. Academy Award-nominated director Denis Villeneuve is formally on the helm of “James Bond 26,” and to suppose he is already boasting a filmography that features beloved mental properties resembling “Blade Runner” and “Dune.” So as to add Bond to his resume actually is the final word flex.
Amazon MGM Studios has confirmed the information to Selection, with Denis Villeneuve himself sharing his official assertion, now that he’s set to outline the following era of 007, which is able to possible be expanded upon past the large display movement image occasions and into the world of streaming:
“A few of my earliest movie-going recollections are linked to 007. I grew up watching James Bond movies with my father, ever since ‘Dr. No’ with Sean Connery. I am a die-hard Bond fan. To me, he is sacred territory. I intend to honor the custom and open the trail for a lot of new missions to return. It is a huge duty, but in addition, extremely thrilling for me and an enormous honor.”
Following the announcement earlier this 12 months that Amazon had taken full inventive management over the James Bond franchise, bringing in Denis Villeneuve is an plain win for the franchise. Given the general mixed-to-negative response to the Amazon takeover (yours actually was significantly not happy), having among the finest filmmakers on this planet on the helm will definitely convey some much-needed goodwill amidst all of the cynicism that movie lovers have expressed now that the streaming age will influence what was one of many definitive solely theatrical mental properties in popular culture historical past. However earlier than we have a good time any additional, there’s one main situation amidst this unbelievable information.
Denis Villeneuve nonetheless has a significant dedication to Arrakis
Denis Villeneuve might already be wanting to tackle James Bond, however he ought to lay off the martinis for now in favor of the Spice Melange. Sure, Villeneuve is at present set to finish his deliberate “Dune” trilogy together with his adaptation of Frank Herbert’s sequel, “Dune: Messiah.” The third and ultimate entry in Villeneuve’s trilogy is seeking to start principal pictures this summer season, with experiences claiming that the ever-so busy Robert Pattinson could also be becoming a member of the movie as Scytale. Legendary Photos can be seeking to launch the movie in December 2026. Provided that he’ll be busy on Arrakis, do not anticipate to see “James Bond 26” hit theaters till round 2027 or 2028 on the earliest.
Each components of Denis Villeneuve’s cinematic adaptation of the primary “Dune” ebook have been universally acclaimed. Though “Dune: Half One” needed to take care of WarnerMedia’s disastrous determination to launch the whole lot of Warner Bros’ 2021 movie slate day-and-date with HBO Max (a call that Villeneuve himself despised), it nonetheless grossed a formidable $410.6 million on a funds of $165 million. As for “Dune: Half Two,” it grossed an much more spectacular $714.7 million on a funds of $190 million. Each movies had been nominated for the Academy Award for Finest Image of their respective launch years, though Villeneuve was woefully snubbed for Finest Director each instances.
Denis Villeneuve will set the muse for the following era of 007
By the point he completes his commitments on Arrakis, Denis Villeneuve will be free to start out bringing his imaginative and prescient for “James Bond 26” to life. A part of what makes his hiring so thrilling is not only the truth that will probably be one other alternative for him to place his definitive inventive stamp on cinema’s most well-known espionage sequence, however he may even set the muse of who, what, and when our new 007 signifies. Villeneuve can have a hand in casting the seventh official actor to play James Bond, and whether or not or not he opts to direct sequels, this movie will jumpstart a wholly new period that may, for higher or worse, embody spinoffs.
There’s a lot to be cynical in regards to the Amazon takeover, however we are able to at the very least assure that Denis Villeneuve won’t cellphone it in with “James Bond 26.” His good work was on highly effective show via smaller-scale human tales resembling “Prisoners,” “Sicario,” and “Arrival.” By the point he made the leap to legendary franchises with “Blade Runner 2049” and each of his “Dune” motion pictures, he had confirmed himself to be one of many definitive filmmakers of his era in crafting significant tasks on an enormous scale which might be unequivocally his distinct inventive imaginative and prescient. No matter how lengthy we should wait, his Bond movie will probably be a necessary theatrical expertise for audiences to sit up for within the subsequent few years.
