After buying the keys to the James Bond franchise, Amazon MGM Studios signaled this week that it plans to create a high-prestige version of the series by setting Oscar-nominated “Dune” filmmaker Denis Villeneuve to direct the first new installment of the franchise since Daniel Craig’s tenure.
Plans for the new Bond movies are under lock and key, but newly installed producers Amy Pascal and David Heyman made a statement with Villeneuve’s hiring: This new Bond will be stylish. It will be big. And it could even make an awards splash.
This is in contrast to the majority of the films in the 25-movie series, which were largely directed by journeyman filmmakers without signature styles and which kept budgets fairly in check. This choice shows that Amazon aims to take a page out of the “Skyfall” playbook, as the 2012 Bond film — the only one to gross over $1 billion — saw Oscar-winning director Sam Mendes put a prestige stamp on the franchise.
“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,” Villeneuve said in a statement announcing his hiring, but the prepared remarks weren’t just fan-service. Four years ago, the director responded to a reporter’s question about potentially tackling Bond as a “massive yes” and said the opportunity would be “pure cinematic joy.”
Villeneuve beat out a stable of accomplished filmmakers that included Edward Berger (“Conclave”), Edgar Wright (“Scott Pilgrim vs. the World”) and Jonathan Nolan (“Fallout”) to steer the direction of one of Hollywood’s most beloved IP. The French-Canadian filmmaker has a track record of winning over audiences, but also makes artful blockbusters that earn critical acclaim and awards recognition. After hitting big with critics on films like “Arrival” and “Sicario,” Villeneuve successfully brought Harrison Ford back to “Blade Runner” in 2017’s well-reviewed sequel and most recently directed two “Dune” movies back-to-back. The epic Frank Herbert sci-fi adaptations combined won eight Oscars and grossed over $1.1 billion worldwide.
And the filmmaking community is hyped. “Perfect idea,” one director of a major Hollywood franchise told TheWrap.
“The best Bond films still aren’t great movies. So Denis could pull off the impossible – a good movie that also happens to be a Bond film,” another filmmaker who wished to remain anonymous said.
Villeneuve’s stature something of an outlier for the Bond franchise. The spy series kicked off in 1962 with Terence Young directing Sean Connery, and gained popularity as the sort of ongoing franchise that was a reliable good time but not regarded as “serious art” by most. Bond went to space. Bond fought Jimmy Dean in the desert. Bond raided an ice castle. The spectacle was the point, but the kinds of filmmakers that steered each movie were of the journeyman sort.
That’s not a pejorative. Martin Campbell is arguably the most successful director in the franchise’s history, rebooting it to massive fan acclaim twice with Pierce Brosnan’s “Goldeneye” and Daniel Craig’s game-changing, grounded “Casino Royale.” But it wasn’t until “Skyfall” that the series roped in a “prestige” kind of filmmaker, as Sam Mendes brought in Oscar-winning cinematography legend Roger Deakins and cast Oscar winner Javier Bardem in the villain role. The movie landed on numerous critics’ Top 10 lists and won a pair of Oscars, although the success wasn’t able to be immediately duplicated – Mendes’ follow-up “Spectre” earned a more mixed critical response.
The next piece of the puzzle for Bond 26, of course, is casting. Both Pascal and Heyman have first-hand experience in picking future superstars – Pascal helped cast Spider-Man three times, tapping Tobey Maguire, Andrew Garfield and Tom Holland to great success, while Heyman was key in filling out the esteemed “Harry Potter” ensemble from scratch.
Will this new James Bond film finally introduce a young, inexperience Bond? Or perhaps even tackle 007’s origin story?
“Is there a bigger character-driven franchise in the history of entertainment than this one? And unlike ‘Star Wars’ or ‘Indiana Jones’ or Marvel, one that has proven to be eternal regardless of the lead actor changes,” a top talent agent said of the importance of getting the casting right.
Will this new James Bond film finally introduce a young, inexperience Bond? Or perhaps even tackle 007’s origin story?
Villeneuve is about to enter production on a third “Dune” movie for Warner Bros. and Legendary with Timothée Chalamet before he moves on to Bond, which would seem to make the 29-year-old Oscar nominee a candidate by default. Holland’s name, meanwhile, is already in the mix having built a close relationship with Pascal over the last three “Spider-Man” movies, and they’re working on a fourth that starts production this summer (what timing!).
Whoever fills the role, Amazon MGM Studios made a significant statement with the hiring of Villeneuve – not to mention Heyman and Pascal – that they’re treating the James Bond franchise as more than just a moneymaker. These are serious filmmakers with a bevy of awards and nominations under their belts. As Amazon MGM steps in as a major theatrical player with at least 14 movies released in theaters next year, the Bond franchise – which is unlikely to kick off before 2028 – looks primed to follow in the footsteps of Villeneuve’s last few movies.
That is, both a commercial and critical home run.
Drew Taylor and Umberto Gonzalez contributed to this report.
