James Bond is Salvo (again): Denis Villeneuve will direct the next 007

For a moment, it seemed that James Bond had become the enemy of the people. In February, in fact, the Amazon MGM Studios announced that they had acquired the rights of the character from the Broccoli family, the producers who had supervised the super-supper for most of his cinematographic life. An implacable wave of criticism followed. The fans of 007 feared that the industrial giant, known above all for the free shipping during the day, would have debased the iconic character of the secret agent through infinite clones and spin-offs.

When the founder of Amazon, Jeff Bezospublished the news on social media and asked “Who would you like it to be the next bond?”the prevalent opinion was “Henry Cavill». But the second most widespread opinion was: Don’t even try. When The Hollywood Reporter He spoke of the agreement (which apparently is around the billion dollars), in the opening image the sector magazine depicted Bezos as Blofeld, the Bond Bond Calvo and the scar.

But the fate of 007 always changes in a moment. Just when it seems passed off (with a thermal laser which approaches for cut it in two, rotating blades that I touch the heels while dangling in the void or poison that It flows in the body due to a contaminated Martini) the affable Fleming spy always escapes the danger and resumes control. It happened again Wednesday evening, when Denis Villeneuve He signed a contract as the next director of the franchise.

Perhaps today there are no other directors in activity capable of combining with the artistic prestige level of Villeneuve such a fame in pop culture, except perhaps of Christopher Nolanthat once he had in turn expressed his desire to make a film of 007. Villeneuve broke through in the mainstream with the excruciating and exciting drama of 2010 The woman who sings and has shown that he is a master of intensity with Prisonersa drama on the 2013 kidnapping. The thriller on the drug cartel Cingfrom 2015, the frenzy of the shootings and the action in a narrative full of humanity radically. With the 2017 sequel Blade Runner 2049 He has shown that he can collect and expand the legacy of a classic, while his two films of the saga of Dune Business and complexity have been to break through both the box office as well as to the prizes season.

In addition to its remarkable curriculum, Villeneuve has another fundamental ingredient: a deep love for 007 that goes beyond the economic return. “Some of my first cinematographic memories are linked to 007,” said Villeneuve in a press release. «I grew up watching James Bond’s films with my father, since Agent 007 – license to kill with Sean Connery. I am a huge fan of Bond. For me it is a sacred territory. I intend to honor tradition and open the way to many new missions to come ».

However, it is a mission that may have to wait a little longer. For 007, Villeneuve will be joined by Tanya Lapainehis production wife and partners, but first the two must complete Messiahthird part of the trilogy of Dune For Warner Bros. The film, whose release is scheduled for December 18, 2026, should start shooting in Hungary this summer.

To produce the 007 film by Villeneuve will be Amy Pascalformer Sony manager who also produced the recent films of Spider-manAnd David Heymanespecially known for the films of Harry Potter and for Barbie. The road to go is not easy for Bond. Characters like this survive only if they know how to adapt to the times, but an excessive change risks dispersing the charm that made them loved first.

You can perhaps find some wisdom in Timothy Daltonwhich despite having interpreted 007 in only two films (Danger area of 1987 e Private revenge of 1989) gave Bond to a darker nuance, in contrast with the playful deliberately above the lines of the predecessor Roger Moore. In a recent interview a Vanity FairDalton admitted that his intention was with Bond. “But that’s exactly what many have not liked,” he said.

Today Dalton is considered a precursor of the gloomy and more concrete version of the bond played by Daniel Craig After Pierce brosnanwhose interpretation, like that of Moore, was more defined by a winking playfulness. Bond must be fun, and in addition to having the aim of a Dalton sniper he was able to pronounce deadly jokes; But also the reputation of Villeneuve’s seriousness could benefit from 007, giving the character a little of the Dalton intensity. Adrenaline is increasing when the public thinks that the hero can fall, and fall ruinously. Villeneuve has made its stylistic figure of this type of drama.

With Cinghowever, Villeneuve already has an indirect link with the 007 of Dalton. In fact, that film saw Benicio del Toro In the role of a government hunter that hunting the cartel, and one of the first roles of Del Toro had been precisely that of a henchman in Private revengewhere he tried to drop the spy played by Dalton in those rotating blades for cocaine processing.

The director could also benefit from another precious advice that Dalton has learned at his own expense and addressed to the unknown actor who will collect the witness. “Anyone who does it must have a very clear idea of ​​the lens that aims, because every single person in the world has a different opinion about it,” Dalton recently told me. Then adding a warning: “In a certain sense, they are all trapped.”

When Villeneuve finally dedicates himself to 007, he will have to find a way to escape the trap of these gigantic expectations. Bond’s key lies in running as risk as possible without actually meeting his destiny.