When Amazon bought MGM for $8.5 billion again in 2022, they discovered themselves in the James Bond enterprise, because the Bond franchise was arrange at MGM – they usually needed to begin making Bond motion pictures as shortly as doable. Sadly, inventive disagreements between Amazon MGM Studios and producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli slowed down the method. So, earlier this yr Amazon paid off Wilson and Broccoli (reported value: one other $1 billion) to allow them to acquire inventive management over the franchise for the foreseeable future, hiring Amy Pascal of Pascal Footage and David Heyman of Heyday Movies to produce the subsequent Bond movie. Final week, we realized that Amazon, Pascal, and Heyman have discovered the director for Bond 26, hiring Denis Villeneuve to take the helm. It’s an fascinating alternative, not simply due to his spectacular filmography, but additionally as a result of Villeneuve has been speaking about his Bond fandom in interviews not less than way back to 2015. The truth is, Villeneuve made his ardour for Bond so clear, he was even given the prospect to interview No Time to Die director Cary Joji Fukunaga about his Bond movie when it was launched! The video of that 40 minute interview has been circulating once more in the wake of the “Villeneuve is the brand new Bond director” information, and we’ve got it embedded above so our JoBlo readers can test it out.

No Time to Die is likely one of the extra divisive entries in the Bond franchise, which is even evident right here on JoBlo – Chris Bumbray gave the movie an 8/10 overview, whereas I discovered little or no to get pleasure from about it in any respect. Throughout his interview with Fukunaga, Villeneuve made it clear that he was one of many film’s followers and was fairly impressed by a number of points of it.

Signing on to direct Bond 26, Villeneuve offered the next assertion: “A few of my earliest movie-going reminiscences are related to 007. I grew up watching James Bond movies 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 custom and open the trail for a lot of new missions to come. That is a huge duty, but additionally, extremely thrilling for me and a enormous honor. Amy, David, and I are completely thrilled to carry him again to the display screen. Thanks to Amazon MGM Studios for his or her belief.“ Jeff Sneider of The InSneider reported that “the present plan requires Amazon MGM to rent a co-writer who will start writing the subsequent James Bond film primarily based on Villeneuve’s thought whereas the director is off engaged on Dune Messiah. As soon as that movie wraps, Villeneuve will rewrite his co-writer’s draft earlier than he begins casting.”

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