As we James Bond freaks wait with bated breath for the anointing of our new Bond, our Amazon overlords have blessed us with one very exciting announcement: the new installment will be directed by none other than the kind-eyed treasure of Canadian filmdom, Denis Villeneuve.
Amazon MGM Studios released the announcement yesterday, revealing that Villeneuve, too, is also a James Bond superfan. “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,” he said in the statement.
Villeneuve has a beefy track record helming beloved properties; he received great acclaim for his two-part adaptation of “Dune,” for example, and was chosen to continue the “Bladerunner” saga. Villeneuve said he intends to honour the James Bond tradition and open the path for many new missions to come. “This is a massive responsibility,” he said, “but also, incredibly exciting for me and a huge honour.”
The new 007 era began this winter when OG franchise owners Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson teamed up with studio partners Amazon MGM. Discovering which director they chose for the new installment would, surely, set the tone for the films to come under the auspices of the new studio set-up.
And Villeneuve — one of the most exciting (and dependable) — filmmakers working right now, is a solid choice for the first outing under the franchise’s new ownership. Rather than choose some sort of Marvel-pilled workhorse or an artier pick like they did last time ‘round with Cary Joji Fukunaga, they went with the choice of an auteur who also has serious box-office chops: more a classy Sam Mendes-esque vibe vs. a safe nostalgia bet (like when they went back to “GoldenEye” director Martin Campbell for the inaugural Daniel Craig outing, “Casino Royale”).
He also has a sterling track record in delving into the psyches of tortured cop types, whether it’s greasy troubled Jake Gyllenhaal in “Prisoners” or stern troubled Emily Blunt in “Sicario” or hot troubled robot Ryan Gosling in “Blade Runner 2049.”
Villeneuve has serious skill when it comes to blending action and stunning visuals as well, whether it’s “Dune: Part Two”’s bug-like soldiers soaring into the desert sky or the alien interactions in “Arrival.” Plus, he already has four personal Oscar nominations, and his films have many more, perhaps hinting at a future where a Bond movie could finally win big at the Academy Awards.
Now, only that one question remains, but it’s a biggie: who will be the next James Bond? Daniel Craig picked up the Walther PPK for the last time in 2021’s “No Time To Die,” declining to return for a sixth outing. The Internet has been rabidly predicting who will take up the iconic role for the last several years.
So have the bookmakers. Ladbrokes released their updated odds of who could step into the special agent’s shoes today. Bigger names include Aaron Taylor-Johnson (11/8), Theo James (7/2), Henry Cavill (4/1), and Harris Dickinson (16/1).
Villeneuve doesn’t have a huge stable of repeat collaborators that could be a good fit, although “Dune” darling Timothée Chalamet did surge ahead in the race, given his repeat work with Villeneuve on the spice flicks, landing 16/1 odds.
Other lesser-known potentials include Scott Rose-Marsh (4/1), Jack Lowden (12/1), James Norton (12/1), and Sam C. Wilson (16/1). It’s worth noting, however, that when Daniel Craig was tapped as Bond, he wasn’t really a name, either, and he turned out to be one of the franchise’s best leads (even if he was blond).
Some of the other names in the ether in recent years include great actors who don’t seem exactly right for the role (like Tom Hardy and Josh O’Connor), but our heart always yearned for Idris Elba to don the tuxedo. Aaron Pierre currently has 6/1 odds to take it, but given the outcry the populace made when Bond merely turned blond, it remains unclear whether the studio would have the guts to go with a Black 007 just yet.
Given their win in choosing Villeneuve as the first director of this new era, we’re hopeful they’ll make just as good a choice in picking the new James Bond.
