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Amazon MGM Studios has been named director of the next James Bond film, signing that the company is moving quickly to bring the franchise back to life a few months after gaining totally creative control from the Broccoli family.
Villeneuve is known for his science fiction works, including two Dune Films, Arrival and Blade Runner 2049. The French-Canadian director will be executive producer of the new Bond film along with filmmaker Tanyara Pointe.
“I’m a fan of stubborn bonds,” Villeneuve said in a statement. “It’s a huge responsibility, but it’s very exciting and a huge honor for me.”
The company is beginning to talk with potential screenwriters, but it’s a solid argument about the next film’s most controversial details, about who will be cast as the next James Bond.
In March, Amazon managed bond intellectual property rights from Barbara Broccoli and her brother-in-law, Michael Wilson. Broccoli’s father, Albert Broccoli, directed the franchise for decades before her daughter and Wilson ruled it.
Amazon wanted to take advantage of the rights to the Bond franchise, the crown of MGM’s $8.45 billion acquisition in 2022. She resigned in March.
At the same time, Amy Pascal and David Heyman were appointed producers of the new Bond film. Both have a record of successful hits. Pascal is head of Sony’s film division and launched the studio’s successful Spider-Man franchise. Heyman produced Harry Potter and Paddington films.
With Villeneuve in place, Amazon will focus more on searching for actors who will play James Bond.
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“James Bond is in the hands of one of the best filmmakers of today. We can’t wait to begin our next adventure in 007,” said Mike Hopkins, head of Prime Video.
Broccoli nominated Daniel Craig for the new 007 in 2005 and appeared to be struggling to come up with a replacement. When it was announced that Broccoli and Wilson were handing over creative control, Amazon’s executive chairman Jeff Bezos crowdsourced the search for the next 007. He posted to X and received over 30,000 replies.
