Frank Herbert's Dune and Ian Fleming's James Bond have been big news for PC gamers this month, thanks to the launch of Funcom's survival MMO Dune: Awakening and the first trailer for IO Interactive's James Bond game 007 First Light, both of which arrived in June.
That gives me the thinnest of excuses to report on some news from Amazon MGM Studios: Denis Villeneuve, director of the Dune movies, will direct the next James Bond film.
"Some of my earliest movie-going memories are connected to 007," said Villeneuve. "I'm a die-hard Bond fan. To me, he’s sacred territory. I intend to honor the trad–"
Sorry, Denis, I'm gonna interrupt that quote because this is exactly the kind of thing every director says when taking over a long-running franchise, isn't it? "I grew up on Star Wars." "I've been a fan of Spider-Man since I was a kid." "I swear on the lives of my children that I will honor the history, legacy, and gravitas of Sonic the Hedgehog." It's a preemptive strike on anxious fans who are worried the next entry in their favorite fictional property is going to suck ass.
"This is a massive responsibility," Villeneuve continued, "but also, incredibly exciting for me and–"
Denis, Denis, hush. We get it. And I don't think it's even necessary to keep spouting off, because this is about the best news a Bond fan could hear. Villeneuve's films, like the two Dune movies, Blade Runner 2049, and Arrival are highly regarded among sci-fi fans, Sicario gets high marks from lovers of gritty crime flicks, and Enemy delighted arthouse dorks. Villeneuve has one hell of a track record.
Which isn't to say Bond fans don't have a reason to worry about Bond's future. Earlier this year, Amazon finally wrested control of Bond from the Broccoli family (who held the rights for over 60 years) by employing a clever little showbiz trick called "spending 8 billion dollars to buy MGM and then spending another 1 billion more to buy the rights to James Bond."
It's not like the Broccolis never produced a James Bond stinker (Die Another Day is just one example), but this is Amazon we're talking about, whose Lord of the Rings show The Rings of Power was an utter bore despite the billion-dollar price tag. I think Bond fans are at least a little relieved to have Villeneuve on board.
There are still a couple big unanswered questions, namely: who the heck is gonna be the next James Bond? No casting announcements have been made, though Vegas odds (yes, you can actually bet on who will be the next James Bond) put Aaron Taylor-Johnson (Kraven the Hunter) in the lead, followed by Theo James (The Monkey) and Aaron Pierre (Rebel Ridge). ATJ does nothing for me personally, but both James and Pierre would be fun choices for Bond, I think.
Another important question: when the heck is Denis Villeneuve gonna have time to direct a Bond movie? Already on the director's roster is the third Dune movie, Dune: Messiah, slated for 2026, and a Cleopatra film that—if history is any indication—will be an epic. He's also directing an adaptation of Arthur C. Clarke's Rendezvous with Rama and a film based on a speculative non-fiction book called Nuclear War: A Scenario (about the US and North Korea trading nukes) which is currently in preproduction.
With all that stacked up, when can we expect the Villeneuve Bond movie: 2028? 2029, maybe? At least we'll have the game to tide us over: 007 First Light is due out next year.
