Now that No Time to Die is playing in theaters everywhere, it won’t be long until the speculation begins over what comes next for the James Bond franchise. Producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson have admitted the series is at a critical juncture now that Amazon has purchased MGM, but they’ve been promised that 007 will remain the exclusive property of theaters.
Of course, the chatter regarding the next actor to slip into the tux began years ago before Daniel Craig even confirmed No Time to Die would be his final outing, but regular contender Idris Elba appeared to definitively rule himself out of the running. Henry Cavill says he’d join the property in any capacity, while the next reboot could realistically opt for a total unknown or lesser-known star.
Just as important is the identity of the person behind the camera, and you can bet that lifelong Bond fan Christopher Nolan’s name will come up as it always does, but Dune‘s Denis Villenueve revealed in a recent interview with the Happy Sad Confused podcast that he’d love to make a James Bond film.
“I would deeply love one day to make a James Bond movie. It would be a big challenge to try and reboot it after what Daniel did. What Daniel Craig brought to Bond was so unique and strong and honestly un-matchable.”
Arrival, Blade Runner 2049 and at least one Dune have seen Villenueve operating in the sci-fi genre for a while now, and he’s never really tackled a straightforward action blockbuster in his career. He’d be an interesting, cerebral and meticulous choice for a James Bond epic, so perhaps Eon Productions can add his name to the list.