Villeneuve has directed both the recent Dune movies, Blade Runner 2049, and Sicario.
No script yet either.
Maybe the next Bond will be A.I. generated. Voiced by ChatGTP.
Probably my favorite director that puts movies out with any regularity. I’m not terribly concerned with the lead; script and director matter far more. Hopefully he has a bit of a freehand, I know the franchise hasn’t been super risk-tolerant.
Agreed that the script and director are more important than whoever plays Bond.
I vote for Lashana Lynch as 007. She’s already played the part, so the risk should be minimal.
Villeneuve is a very good stylistic director and works with actors to create memorable character but he sucks at actually telling a story to the point that I don’t really think he is interested in plot coherency. That works fine with a film like Sicario which had a very simple story which served to explore deeper themes of deception, betrayal, and the pragmatics of evil; or with a sequel to Blade Runner whose original director (Ridley Scott) was equally disinterested in plot consistency. Frankly, it’s probably not an issue for a conventional Bond movie which is essentially just a railroad investigative story structure, but if you want something like the 2006 Casino Royale (arguably the best Bond movie from a plotting standpoint) it’s outside of Villeneuve’s toolbox, but you’re probably going to end up with something like Quantum of Solace or Spectre.
In general, the most genrally well-regarded Bond movies are made by workmanlike directors like John Glen or Martin Campbell versus artistes like Marc Forester or Cary Joji Fukunaga. because they are fundamentally big budget actioneers that become overinflated when infused with some director’s ‘vision’ or sense of cinematic style. (And I say this as a rare apologist for Quantum of Solace who actually appreciated the kind of art house sensibility that Forester brought to the film.)
Stranger
I can’t find the timeline for Goldeneye, but Martin Campbell was announced as the director for Casino Royale 6 months before Craig was announced as the next Bond. So nothing out of the ordinary here.
Eon Productions—which actually produced all of the Bond films except for Thunderball (technically) and of course the non-canon 1967 Casino Royale and Never Say Never Again—had been courting Daniel Craig as their preferred new candidate since the 2004 film Layer Cake but held back on public reveal because they expected controversy over the casting of an actor who wasn’t as conventionally handsome as previous Bond actors. Martin Campbell had previously directed Goldeneye, which was Pierce Brosnan’s entry into playing Bond, and had likely been in consideration since they decided to revamp the franchise as a solid director for the kind of movie they were trying to make. Neal Purvis and Robert Wade have been responsible for writing the bones of numerous Bond scripts (including all of the Craig films) since The World is Not Enough (make of that what you will) but I suspect they will not be involved in the MGM/Amazon effort which has been stated to with the intention to create a new ‘universe’ of Bond-associated properties using the different characters. So I wouldn’t infer anything about how or if this is going to proceed based upon prior history with Eon.
Stranger
FWIW here is what Villeneuve said about his attachment to Bond movies:
“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. “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, David, and I are absolutely thrilled to bring him back to the screen. Thank you to Amazon MGM Studios for their trust.” - SOURCE
I do not know how that will translate to the screen for him but, at least, he does seem to genuinely care about Bond movies so this is more than just another job for him.
ETA: As for the next Bond actor I am kinda partial to Idris Elba. I think he’d be great in the role. (I have absolutely no idea if he is being considered or even wants the role.)
Actor-wise they are likely going for younger, so that they can play him for the next fifteen years. So expect someone in their mid- to late-30s.
So, Robert Pattinson.
(Honestly, he could probably pull it off.)
If you are going to look to the Harry Potter cast, because of David Heyman, then Pattinson is more likely than Rupert Grint or Tom Felton.
Tom Holland for the win.
Prisoners had a great plot, so that’s my counter-argument!
Pattinson is already older than Daniel Craig was in Casino Royale.
If I were betting on it, I’d put money on James Norton.
I enjoy speculation about Bond casting far more than the movies themselves.
Googling, James Norton is 39 years old. Is that too old to start in the role?
Off the top of my head, so may be slightly inaccurate (when their first films were released)…
Connery was 32
Moore 46
Lazenby 29
Dalton 42
Brosnan 41
Craig 37
If he’s 39 now, let’s say he’d be 41 when it came out. Seems reasonable compared to the last 3.
I still think Aaron Taylor Johnson would be a good fit.
I’m hoping for Jack Lowden (35) myself. The fact that he’s currently playing a slightly goofier version of Bond on TV is a point in his favor - that’s exactly how Brosnan go the job.