Next James Bond director confirmed: Dune director Denis Villeneuve to direct 26th Bond film

Canadian filmmaker Denis Villeneuve has been named as the director of the next James Bond movie.

He will take over the storied British franchise as the key creative voice alongside producers Amy Pascal and David Heyman.

With Villeneuve on board, the team is now closer to casting an actor in the pivotal role. The intention was to lock in a director before they recruited the next thespian to don Bond’s dapper threads.

He will be integral to choosing who will replace Daniel Craig, one of the most speculated moves in entertainment. Guessing who will take over has become a favourite past-time among fans.

While Idris Elba’s name had been kicking around for years he, and even the likes of fortysomethings Tom Hardy and Henry Cavill, have likely aged out of the role. Anyone being cast as Bond now will need to be younger so they can stick around for several films.

That makes Slow Horses’ Jack Lowden, 35, Challengers’ Josh O’Connor, 35, Babygirl’s Harris Dickinson, 29, Get Out’s Daniel Kaluuya, 36, Bridgerton’s Jonathan Bailey, 37, and Star Wars’ John Boyega, 33, more likely candidates.

Aaron Taylor-Johnson, 35, was reported to have screen-tested for the role two years ago, but no announcement was ever made, and that was under the previous creative regime.

Villeneuve is an acclaimed director known for balancing a large scale production with intimate character moments. He helmed the two Timothee Chalamet Dune movies as well as sci-fi film Arrival and crime dramas Prisoners, Sicario and Enemy.

He has also previously dabbled in continuing an existing franchise when he made Blade Runner 2049, the sequel to Ridley Scott’s classic film.

In a statement, he 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.”

Villeneuve’s name was reported to be in the mix earlier this month by Puck, alongside the likes of Edgar Wright (Shaun of the Dead), Edward Berger (Conclave), Paul King (Paddington) and Jonathan Nolan (Westworld).

While Bond actors are usually British (Irish Pierce Brosnan and Australian George Lazenby were the exceptions), the franchise’s directors haven’t always been. This century, only Sam Mendes, who made Skyfall and Spectre, has hailed from the UK.

The most recent helmer, Cary Fukunaga, who directed No Time to Die, is American. He took over from Danny Boyle after the Trainspotting director left during pre-production over creative differences.

This is a complete reset for the franchise that started with the 1961 movie Dr No after Amazon MGM bought out long-time creative shepherds Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson for a reported $US1 billion.

When Amazon bought MGM for $US8.5 billion in 2022, it gained 50 per cent of the rights to the Bond franchise. But the tech company had been at an impasse with Broccoli and Wilson for years over its future direction.

The Wall Street Journal reported that Broccoli, in particular, disagreed with Amazon’s demand that the franchise be expanded to include streaming spin-offs and other brand extensions. She wanted to maintain the integrity of Bond as cinema-only movies.

Broccoli and Wilson inherited the family business, Eon Productions, from Albert Broccoli early during the Brosnan era. Broccoli and Harry Salztman launched the Bond films when they secured the screen rights from Ian Fleming.

With Villeneuve on board for Bond, it raises questions over the timetable for the third Dune movie, for which he is confirmed to direct.

There were reports that filming for Dune 3 was to start in the coming months, but it seems unlikely Amazon would be willing to wait at least 12 to 18 months before Villeneuve became available.

It may be that either Villeneuve hands Dune 3 off to someone else, or it gets delayed.

The most recent Bond movie was released in late-2021, and Amazon has been impatient to start seeing returns from its expensive investment.