It’s official: Denis Villeneuve is the director of James Bond 26 – and that means that the film may be delayed from 2027. More here.
It’s been quite the wait, with enough twists and misdirection to form the plot of an international espionage movie, but it finally looks like we have a director in place to lead James Bond into a new era alongside Amazon MGM, the character’s new stewards. Denis Villeneuve will helm the new 007 film for the studio, and whichever way you look at it, the appointment is a strong one.
While some may point to Christopher Nolan being the single greatest coup that producers David Heyman and Amy Pascal could have unveiled, there’s an equally strong case to be made that in terms of producing commercial blockbusters that contain both artistry and substance, few are better than Villeneuve.
A few other key details have emerged along with the news. Villeneuve’s work on Dune: Messiah will go ahead as planned which means he will be busy on the film’s production throughout the rest of 2025 and likely into part of 2026.
Rumoured plans for the next James Bond film to shoot next year are clearly not fitting into that timeframe, and as such, it will likely be 2027 or even 2028 before Amazon MGM gets its take on 007 into cinemas.
Read more: A View To A Kill | What makes a really good James Bond movie?
According to Dark Horizons, Villeneuve topped a short-list that was comprised Edward Berger, Edgar Wright and Paul King. In an official statement, Villeneuve said:
“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. 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.”
Attention will now turn once again to the casting of 007 for Bond 26, not to mention the interest that will be generated by the appointment of the project’s screenwriter. When we hear more we’ll let you know, but after such a long wait this is surely an announcement that will ease fans’ concerns about the direction of the character under the ownership of Amazon MGM, at least in the short term.
