Latest news with #AmyPascal
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘Dune' filmmaker Denis Villeneuve to direct next James Bond film
Finally some good news. After trademark woes, fears over Trump's tariffs, and endless speculation over the identity of the actor who will take over the 007 mantle, here's a very promising update for the 26th Bond adventure. Amazon MGM Studios put out a press release confirming the identity of the filmmaker for the first 007 film under the studio. They have picked French Canadian director Denis Villeneuve to guide James Bond into a new era. Villeneuve will also serve as executive producer, alongside Tanya Lapointe. As previously announced, Amy Pascal and David Heyman will serve as producers. Villeneuve said in a statement: '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.' He continued: '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.' The head of Amazon MGM Studios, Mike Hopkins, described Villeneuve as a "cinematic master whose filmography speaks for itself". He added: "Denis has delivered compelling worlds, dynamic visuals, complex characters, and - most importantly - the immersive storytelling that global audiences yearn to experience in theatres. 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." We couldn't agree more with Hopkins' comments. Denis Villeneuve is an inspired choice and one of the greatest filmmakers around. It may seem like a bold statement, but we stick by it: Villeneuve has yet to make a bad film. Going one step further, his filmmography does speak for itself: they're all stunning. Best known for helming the Dune franchise, Villeneuve is a four-time Academy Award nominee who has garnered critical acclaim for his films Incendies, Prisoners, Enemy, Sicario, Arrival, and his Blade Runner sequel, Blade Runner 2049. His underseen films Polytechnique and Maelström are no slouches either. He has proven time and time again that he can confidently handle psychological thrillers, nail-biting action scenes (Sicario's traffic jam scene is one of the tensest sequences in recent years), science-fiction goodness - all while balancing complex themes and emotions. The fact that he is also an executive producer on the forthcoming Bond film should give the director a bigger voice when it comes to the direction the franchise is heading in for what is sure to be a reboot after (spoilers) Bond's death in No Time To Die. While further details on the next Bond film have yet to be revealed, including its cast, release date and plot, picking Villeneuve is a sure sign that Amazon are taking this seriously. They have to, as it was announced in March that the long-serving producers of the films, Barbara Broccoli and her half-brother Michael G. Wilson, had stepped away from the creative process and handed over control to Amazon MGM Studios. This ended over 60 years of the Broccoli family's control of the Bond estate. A lot of Bond fans did not react well to the news of the franchise's sale, with many fearing that the new corporate leadership will ruin the series by over-saturating the market with spin-offs, series and other ventures that would dilute the impact of the big screen Bond adventures. The appointment of a director of Villeneuve's caliber should assuage some of those fears. Both Villeneuve's Dune and Dune: Part Two grossed a combined total of more than $1bn worldwide, with both films nominated for Best Picture Oscars in their respective years. Villeneuve is expected to start shooting Dune Messiah, the third movie of the Dune franchise, later this year with a potential release date in 2026. This means that while production is underway for the next Bond film, the earliest we can expect to see the movie will be by the end of 2027. Therefore, Bond 26 will beat the longest ever recorded gap between two James Bond films, since Daniel Craig's swansong, No Time To Die, came out in 2021. The previous record was set by GoldenEye, which was released in 1995 - six years after Timothy Dalton appeared in Licence to Kill. The 2015-2021 pause between SPECTRE and No Time To Die already gave that record a run for its money, primarily due to the Covid pandemic which delayed the release of the film.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Denis Villeneuve Is the Next Bond Director. So What Will His 007 Look Like?
Arrival. Blade Runner 2049. Dune. And now, Bond. Amazon MGM Studios just named Québécois auteur Denis Villeneuve the next James Bond movie. (Colloquially known as "Bond 26" until a real title comes along.) Now wielding the keys to the Aston Martin, Villeneuve's involvement raises big questions about the future for the spy franchise. Mainly: What's Bond 26 going to look like? First, the basics. Not only will this mark Villeneuve's first time working on the series in any form, but also producers Amy Pascal and David Heyman—who took the reins from the Broccolis after they ceded control to Amazon last February. It will also be the series debut of whatever actor will play James Bond next, following Daniel Craig's retirement in 2021's No Time to Die. Truly, we're in a brave new world for Bond. "I'm a die-hard Bond fan. To me, he's sacred territory," Villeneuve said in a statement, where he added that he shared the 007 movies with his father since Dr. No with Sean Connery. "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." Villeneuve is excited to take on Bond—who wouldn't be?!—but an auteur taking over a revered film series comes with plenty of questions and speculation that a lesser-known director wouldn't necessarily attract. Amazon MGM's choice is even more interesting when you factor Villeneuve's existing body of work, a number of which are expansive science fiction features that oscillate between refined and oppressive sensibilities. Judging by what we've broadly seen across his eleven films (beginning with his filmmaking debut August 32nd on Earth, from 1998), we might get a more tech-sophisticated Bond. You know the scenes where Bond meets Q and gets a fancy gadget? It's screaming Denis Villeneuve. And whatever the plot might be, you can bet the villain will dwell in some elaborate lair—with lots of empty space, of course—in which they pontificate their plans with deep solemnity. If Villeneuve leans toward a version of the Bond he grew up on, though, perhaps Bond 26 will be the opposite of what Blade Runner 2049 and the Dunes looked like. (Especially if Dune: Messiah, which begins filming this summer and comes out 2026, doesn't tucker him out from architectural straight lines and gunmetal-gray color palettes.) A Bond 26 that leans into funkier retro aesthetics, found in the Connery, Lazenby, and Moore eras—or the over-the-top bombast that defined Dalton and Brosnan—or something that's all of the above, seems plausible for Villeneuve. Back in 2015, Villeneuve told ComingSoon that directing Bond would be a dream, and that it would be an invitation to try something different. "I understand that each genre has its own specific rules, but for me, they are all movies," he said. "I'm just attracted to try to do different things, and I was very excited to make a movie that required more action. 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." In a 2021 appearance on the podcast Happy Sad Confused, Villeneuve called Bond "a dream to do" and "pure cinematic joy." Whether Villeneuve's definition of joy means remaking Moonraker or making Bond even more of an iconoclast in a rapidly evolving world is yet to be seen. But the Villeneuve era of Bond is already shaping up to be the biggest paradigm shift since Craig stood up on a sandbar in Casino Royale. Basically: Get ready for Bond to get shaken, not stirred. You Might Also Like Kid Cudi Is All Right 16 Best Shoe Organizers For Storing and Displaying Your Kicks
National Post
26-06-2025
- Entertainment
- National Post
Canadian director Denis Villeneuve to direct next James Bond film
Denis Villeneuve is going from 'Dune' to Bond. Article content Amazon MGM Studios announced Wednesday that Villeneuve will direct the next James Bond movie. The untitled film will be the first since the studio took creative reins of the storied film franchise after decades of control by the Broccoli family. Article content Article content Producers Amy Pascal and David Heyman had maintained that before the next Bond is cast, they would develop a screenplay and find a director first. Now, they have one of the most respected blockbuster makers in Hollywood, who's coming off a pair of widely acclaimed 'Dune' films. Article content Article content Article content 'I'm a die-hard Bond fan. To me, he's sacred territory,' said Villeneuve. '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.' Article content Since taking creative control of Bond in February, Amazon MGM has worked quickly to get the next movie going. The studio is also trying to win over fans skeptical of the new corporate leadership and the fearful of future spinoffs. Article content Article content With Pascal and Heyman lodged as producers and Villeneuve behind the camera, the next Bond movie will have an enviable brain trust. Villeneuve beat out a field of directors floated for the movie including Edward Berger ('Conclave'), Paul King ('Paddington 2'), Edgar Wright ('Baby Driver') and Jonathan Nolan, co-creator of 'Westworld' and brother to Christopher Nolan. Article content No release date has been announced for the next Bond movie. Villeneuve will shoot the third 'Dune' film this summer. If production on Bond began next year, a release sometime in 2027 would be likely. Article content Article content Villenevue's first two 'Dune' films have together surpassed $1 billion in box office worldwide and been nominated for a combined 15 Academy Awards, winning seven. His other films include 'Blade Runner 2049,' 'Arrival,' 'Sicario,' 'Prisoners,' 'Enemy' and 'Incendies.' Article content Amazon bought MGM Studios in 2022 for $8.5 billion, but didn't gain creative control of the studio's most prized asset until this year. Until this film, every Bond director has been handpicked by the Broccolis. Article content
The Independent
26-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
The Denis Villeneuve movies you need to watch – as he is confirmed for the next Bond film
Amazon MGM Studios has just announced that Oscar-nominated filmmaker Denis Villeneuve will direct the next James Bond film in an incredibly exciting move for the spy franchise. Accompanying Villeneuve will be his artistic partner and wife, Tanya Lapointe, as executive producer, as well as David Heyman and Amy Pascal as producers. 'Some of my earliest moviegoing 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 in a statement on Wednesday (25 June). '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.' 'We are honoured that Denis has agreed to direct James Bond's next chapter. He is a cinematic master whose filmography speaks for itself,' Mike Hopkins, head of Prime Video and Amazon MGM Studios, said of Villeneuve. It's fair to say that we can expect big things in the franchise's next instalment. While we're rather excited that this big name in the business will be the creative mind behind what is one of the decade's most anticipated films, we can't ignore his already impressive, existing catalogue. Villeneuve is a four-time Academy Award nominee, known for his ability to combine blockbuster visuals with complex character storylines. If, in the lead up to the release of what is currently known as 'Bond 26', you're looking to get a taste of Villeneuve's impeccable style, or refresh your memory on his skill, there are a number of his films we'd recommend you watch. Dune It's often been said that Frank Herbert's 1965 novel Dune is unadaptable to the big screen, but Villeneuve pulled it off. Somehow turning high-concept 1960s sci-fi psychedelia into an approachable action blockbuster, the 2021 Dune film follows Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet). Paul, the son of the noble house Atreides, is pulled from his comfortable homeworld into a web of political intrigue on the desert planet Arrakis. Drawn into a complicated war over the psychotropic drug 'spice', Paul finds himself in the middle of dangerous machinations between his mother's magical, all-women cult, the terrifying feudal Harkonnens, and Arrakis' insurgent native population. Sounds like a lot, but Villeneuve manages to juggle all of this with some astonishing action set pieces. Dune: Part Two Spoilers ahead. Dune: Part Two was released in 2024, and once again follows Paul Atreides' journey. As he unites with Chani (Zendaya) and the Fremen of Arrakis in a war against House Harkonnen, Paul has difficult choices to make between the love of his life, and the fate of the known universe. The mind-bending second act of Villeneuve's Dune trilogy, this film has some truly astonishing set pieces – once seen, the black and white infrared gladiator fight on Giedi Prime is never forgotten. Blade Runner 2049 Blade Runner 2049 is a 2017 neo-noir sci-fi sequel to Blade Runner (1982). The film is set in Los Angeles in the year 2049, where replicants are still being used for slave labour. Working for the Los Angeles Police Department as a blade runner, K (Ryan Gosling) has the job of hunting down and retiring outdated Nexus-8 android replicants. After evidence emerges that replicants can reproduce, K is sent on a quest to find Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford), who has been missing for 30 years, with the help of his AI girlfriend Joi (Ana de Armas) and Freysa (Hiam Abbass). Visually stunning, the film somehow matches the neon heights of the original. Sicario Sicario is the most Bond-like of all Villeneuve's films. FBI special agent Kate Macer (Emily Blunt) is drawn into the war on drugs at the border between the US and Mexico. This stunningly violent film follows Kate into a complicated plot unravelling the interplay between Mexican drug cartels and complicit US government agencies. Like Dune, this film is packed with intricate, hair-raising action set pieces that should translate perfectly into Bond. Arrival This beautiful film is a first-contact film like you've never seen before. After twelve mysterious spacecraft appear over the Earth, linguist Louise Banks (Amy Adams) is tasked with deciphering an extraterrestrial language along with physicist Ian Donnelly (Jeremy Renner). A slower, quieter film than Villeneuve's other blockbusters, the film focuses on the nature of language and memory as it follows Louise's painstaking work to decipher an alien language she cannot even hear. The award-winning soundtrack is truly spine-tingling, and the payoff to the shocking twist at the end of the film is another unforgettable Villeneuve moment.
The Verge
26-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Verge
Denis Villeneuve is directing the next Bond film for Amazon
First, Amazon MGM secured creative control of the James Bond IP, then it brought Amy Pascal and David Heyman in to produce a new feature about the iconic spy. Now, the studio has found a director to lead the project. Last night, Amazon MGM announced that Denis Villeneuve has been tapped to direct a new Bond film — the studio's first since it obtained the property as part of its MGM acquisition back in 2021 for $8.45 billion. The new Bond project does not yet have a name, casting details, or a production timeline, but Amazon MGM also shared that Tanya Lapointe is attached to produce. In a press release about his involvement in the new movie, Villeneuve said that as a longtime fan who grew up watching the Bond series, he sees the character as 'sacred territory.' 'Some of my earliest movie-going memories are connected to 007,' 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.' Amazon MGM and Prime Video head Mike Hopkins echoed Villeneuve's enthusiasm and said that it was an honor to be able to collaborate with him. Hopkins also seemed to indicate that the studio intends for the new project to receive a theatrical release. 'From Blade Runner 2049 to Arrival to the Dune films, [Villeneuve] has delivered compelling worlds, dynamic visuals, complex characters, and—most importantly—the immersive storytelling that global audiences yearn to experience in theaters,' Hopkins said. '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.' It's likely going to be a while until we see any of the new Bond given how busy Villeneuve currently is with his work on a third Dune feature for Legendary and Warner Bros. Discovery, which is slated to hit theaters next year. As Deadline notes, Villeneuve has also reportedly been in talks to work on Universal's upcoming Cleopatra project, Alcon Entertainment's adaptation of Arthur C. Clarke's Rendezvous with Rama, and Legendary's adaptation of Annie Jacobsen's Nuclear War: A Scenario. Bringing Villeneuve on for Bond seems like a solid move on Amazon's part considering how much money the studio spent to buy MGM and then, as part of a separate deal, to convince longtime Bond producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson to give up creative control of the IP. Villeneuve's a known hit maker, and he might be able to help Amazon recoup a substantial chunk of its investment. But the new film's success is undoubtedly going to hinge on its story and whoever ends up becoming the latest 007.
