“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 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.”
Denis Villeneuve
Villeneuve. Denis Villeneuve.
Following on from the March 2025 announcement that producers David Heyman and Amy Pascal will take on the creative reins for the next Bond era, Amazon MGM Studios have announced that the hunt for a new captain to steer the new Bond film has found its man. The 57-year-old Canadian director Denis Villeneuve will direct the new James Bond film for Amazon MGM Studios. He will also executive produce and select and steer the 007th 007 into adventure and movie immortality.
“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.”
David Heyman and Amy Pascal
From Dune – Part One (2021) and Dune – Part Two (2024) via Blade Runner 2049 (2017), Prisoners (2013), Arrival (2016) and Sicario (2015), Villeneuve is a master movie maker and one of the most striking Bond hires to date. And this is not the first time he has been in the crosshairs of 007. No Time to Die (2021) pondered his skills in a different moment of time before he opted for Dune.
Villeneuve’s output and cinematic visions are artistically grand. A true landscape director in the style of John Ford (The Searchers) and Sergio Leone (Once Upon a Time in the West), he has three times already defied pop cultural expectations by taking on the allegedly impossible and futile task of not only reimagining the cinematically precarious Dune franchise, but also forging a sequel to Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner (1982). His so far unmade wish to tackle Cleopatra will however take a backseat for now. Villeneuve did not just create the next chapter for the Rick Deckard story in Blade Runner 2049. He improved on the original, and alerted the world to the talents of newcomer Ana de Armas. 2049 alone is a masterful testament to his ability and aptitude at taking a proven movie treasure and fan fave and running with it stylishly, artistically, and brilliantly. Bond’s Dennis Gassner (Quantum of Solace, Spectre) designed Blade Runner 2049.
He has already worked with a rich wealth of Bond alumni and actors – Javier Bardem, Lea Seydoux, Ana de Armas, Dave Bautista, Benicio Del Toro, and Christopher Walken. He knows that world already and is known to multi-language crews, both the UK and the US and the big studios straddling both. Familiar with both A-listers and unknown European talent, under Villeneuve’s eyes Bond 26 will boast stellar casting. That will also extend to James Bond himself. With Heyman, Pascal and his wife and executive producer Tanya Lepointe, Villeneuve will head up pinpointing and anointing the 007th 007. And that could well brilliantly disturb some online sandworms as Bond looks to his new era with new eyes and new thinking that Villeneuve and this passion project will want to put a stamp on.
Mike Hopkins – Head of Prime Video and Amazon MGM Studios comments in June 2025, “We are honored that Denis has agreed to direct James Bond’s next chapter. 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 theaters. 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.”
Villeneuve also potentially brings with him a rich agency of collaborators and artists – and many of them are the leading global purveyors of their crafts. Cinematographer Roger Deakins (Skyfall) won an Academy Award for Blade Runner – 2049, casting director Francine Maisler has cast Dune and more, screenwriter Jon Spaihts penned both Dune films, his five-times editor Joe Walker won an Academy Award for Dune, as did Bond composer Hans Zimmer (No Time to Die) for his score. As with Heyman and Pascal, the new Bond is in decidedly strong hands. Villeneuve’s appointment alone once again underlines Amazon MGM Studios’ monumental wish to get this right. The eyes of the world are watching like never before and a great deal is at stake. However, this is not a new reset. Amazon MGM, Heyman, Pascal and now Villeneuve have all feet on the DB5 accelerator.
Dune III is [currently] slated for a December 2026 release. This suggests the new James Bond film from director Denis Villeneuve could well be setting its sights on the numerically apt 2027 at the earliest. Maybe. An announcement about the new Bond will however be first.
