Acclaimed filmmaker Denis Villeneuve (Dune franchise) is set to direct the next James Bond film (aka Bond 26). The upcoming 007 actioner will be the first under Amazon MGM Studios, who took over creative control of the franchise from EON Productions in a $20 million deal back in 2022.
Villeneuve himself shared his official statement with Variety: “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 Pascal (Venom) and David Heyman (Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald) will produce, as previously announced by Deadline, with Tanya Lapointe (Dune: Part One) exec producing.
So, who’ll be playing Bond? That’s the next big question. Various media outlets have suggested that Aaron Pierre (Rebel Ridge) has already signed on, but it hasn’t been officially confirmed.
Other names being thrown around in both fan and studio circles include Henry Cavill (Man of Steel), Tom Hardy (Havoc), Aaron Taylor-Johnson (Kick-Ass), Timothée Chalamet (Complete Unknown), Theo James (Divergent), Henry Golding (Assassin Club), Dev Patel (Monkey Man), Andrew Garfield (Hacksaw Ridge), Jacob Elordi (Saltburn), Jamie Dornan (Fifty Shades of Grey), Nicholas Hoult (Nosferatu) and martial arts star, Scott Adkins (John Wick 4).
And what about the Bond girl? Amazon founder Jeff Bezos reportedly “wants very much to happen” for Sydney Sweeney (Martial Arts Kid) to play the next Bond girl. She attended his wedding to Lauren Sánchez in June, and the trio are also business partners on Sweeney’s new lingerie line (via World of Reel).
When Variety confronted Sweeney about the Bond rumors, she said: “I can’t. [Seven-second pause.] I don’t know. [Ten-second pause.] To be honest, I don’t know all the Bond rumors, but I’ve always been a huge fan of the franchise, and I’m excited and curious to see what they do with it,” she says.
We’ll keep you updated on Bond 26 as we learn more. Until then, here’s the Trailer to our Top 5 favorite 007 flicks:
