One of the biggest questions after Amazon acquired creative control of James Bond and brought in Amy Pascal and David Heyman to head up production for 007’s first outing for the studio was who would be the first director of this new era. Last night, it was officially announced that Denis Villeneuve would be the first director of this new era.
Finding the filmmaker to take on Bond has been closely watched since Amazon MGM acquired creative control from Eon Productions’ Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson.
It was only recently that Villeneuve was rumoured to have pitched his vision alongside Edgar Wright, Jonathan Nolan, Paul King, and Edward Berger, following Alfonso Cuarón’s speculative interest, which never materialised.
In the press release, the Dune director 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. Amy, David, and I are absolutely thrilled to bring him back to the screen. Thank you to Amazon MGM Studios for their trust,” added the Canadian.
Pascal and Heyman commented, “Denis Villeneuve has been in love with James Bond movies since he was a little boy. It was always his dream to make this movie, and now it’s ours, too. We are lucky to be in the hands of this extraordinary filmmaker.”
While it’s great to hear how special this series is to Denis and how he followed in the footsteps of many fans of being introduced to the character through his dad.
Additionally, I love Arrival. I was in awe seeing it for the first time at the London Film Festival, it is a modern-day sci-fi masterpiece. While being a bit boring, I like the world-building and visuals of the first Dune.
However, while being an incredible director, I currently feel that this is the wrong choice for what the series needs right now.
I hope to be proven so completely wrong, but my biggest worry is that Denis will just make another character study of Bond’s internal conflict with his job and not being able to love because fuck me, we’ve just had that with Daniel Craig.
Ultimately, I want a Bond who loves his job of getting the villain, travelling to beautiful locations, having the best food and drinks, wearing designer clothes, sleeping with stunning women, using gadgets from Q and driving an Aston Martin.
All things that I believe are needed for this new era as we watch with some humour, the perfect template would be the Brosnan era.
These are the biggest reasons why I’m not vibing, but I don’t want to be completely negative.
For some positives, from an Amazon MGM viewpoint, this is a terrific get as they know Bond fans will be seated whoever helmed. However, now film fans will be excited to see a 007 adventure, possibly for the first time, as the press release highlights the studio’s enthusiasm.
“We are honoured that Denis has agreed to direct James Bond’s next chapter,” stated Mike Hopkins, head of Prime Video and Amazon MGM Studios.
“He is a cinematic master, whose filmography speaks for itself. From Blade Runner 2049 and Arrival to the Dune films, he has delivered compelling worlds, dynamic visuals, complex characters, and – most importantly – the immersive storytelling that global audiences yearn to experience in theatres.”
Adding, “James Bond is in the hands of one of today’s greatest filmmakers and we cannot wait to get started on 007’s next adventure.”
This announcement highlights that the studio is going to invest significant financial backing into this series for the first time in its history.
As mentioned multiple times, Villeneuve’s world-building and visuals are incredible and is the perfect choice to introduce this new world, and by the sound of these quotes, it will be a one-and-done deal.
To make this movie the most stunning Bond movie since Skyfall would be announcing Greig Fraser, his Dune cinematographer, as his DoP for AB1 (Amazon Bond 1).
Finally, what caught my eye and that could ease my worry about the tone is the Sicario filmmaker’s quotes to Comingsoon.net a decade ago telling them, “I was raised with James Bond. I love James Bond movies. I would love to do a James Bond movie one day.
“Action is very cinematic. I’m not someone that loves dialogue – I am someone that loves movement. Action, if it’s well done, can be very poetic and meaningful.”
I would love it to be proven wrong, and Denis goes against all expectations and makes his fun blockbuster in the spirit of Moonraker and Octopussy.
The Bear Cave 