Back in July,we reportedthat the short list ofJames Bond 25directors includedDenis Villeneuve(Sicario,Arrival),Yann Demange(’71), andDavid Mackenzie(Hell or High Water), and any of them would make an exciting choice for Bond’s latest adventure.
Speaking toThe Playlist, Villeneuve says he’s interested inBondand working withDaniel Craig, but his new adaptation of Frank Herbert’sDuneis what takes priority:
“The thing is I don’t now about that, but listen,” Villeneuve says. “Daniel Craig is a very inspiring actor and I had some contact and the thing is that I’m busy right now doing ‘Dune.’ But, I will say to have the privilege to work with him it would be a dream. I would love to work with Daniel and a Bond movie for me would be a treat. It’s a matter of timing, I guess.”
The nextJames Bondfilm is due out June 27, 2025. With Craig’s schedule and other directing candidates possibly available, I seriously doubt EON would push back the release date just to wait for Villeneuve. More likely than not, they’ll let Villeneuve go and maybe circle back to him for future installment (that’s one of the nice things about theBondfranchise—it will never end).
While you could make the argument that there’s enough time for Villeneuve to make two movies in two years (and he has had a pretty speedy pace coming out with five films in the last four years), but bothDuneandBondrequire a fairly large canvas withDuneexisting as epic sci-fi andBondneeding time to plan out extensive set pieces.
With Villeneuve likely out of the running, it will be interesting to see if the producers settle on Demange or Mackenzie soon or if they go with a previously unreported candidate.
