Amazon MGM Studios have announced who will pen the next Bond movie, and it’s a hugely exciting proposition.
With Denis Villeneuve already set to take the director’s chair, it’s been confirmed that the script will be written by Steven Knight, the man behind Peaky Blinders, A Thousand Blows, This Town and more.
A Knight-penned Bond adventure is massively exciting, although it's worth remembering that the film is still in the very early stages – in fact we’re still waiting on the announcement on who will be donning the tuxedo in the next Bond adventure following Daniel Craig’s retirement in No Time to Die.
Bond 26: The story so far
Even so, it’s great to see the franchise making positive moves forward following a tumultuous decade for 007. While Craig’s era got off to a good start with new adventures landing every few years, the departure of director Danny Boyle from the film that would go on to become No Time to Die, followed by a pandemic-induced release delay meant it was almost six years before Craig’s final mission landed in cinemas. Since then, Amazon purchased Bond’s parent studio MGM and quickly produced Road to a Million, a gameshow inspired by 007’s globe-trotting adventures.
Talk of a new film was few and far between though, with rumors surrounding cinematic universes and TV spin-offs quickly dispelled by long-time producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson. However, all that changed when in January of this year Broccoli announced that her and Wilson were stepping away from the franchise and handing full creative control to Amazon. While there was speculation that the pair had been ousted due to Amazon’s frustration with them dragging their feet on a new project, the official statement from Broccoli read: "With the conclusion of No Time to Die and Michael retiring from the films, I feel it is time to focus on my other projects."
Following the pair’s departure, and after a few months of getting their Aston Martin in order, Amazon confirmed a 26th Bond film was starting pre-production, with Dune helmer Denis Villeneuve attached to direct and Amy Pascal set to produce alongside Harry Potter’s David Heyman.
What should we expect from Bond 26?
While we currently know nothing of what to expect from 007’s next mission, Knight’s appointment could potentially point toward a long-speculated return to the 1960s for the franchise, with the writer almost exclusively penning period pieces in recent years, with Knight’s rollicking WW2 action adventure SAS: Rogue Heroes of particular note to those wondering what his interpretation of Bond might look like.
"I’m hoping that, being a Bond fan for so many years, it will be imbued into me and I will be able to produce something that’s the same but different, and better, stronger and bolder," Knight told BBC Radio 5 Live Breakfast on August 1, according to The HollyWood Reporter.
Despite all the recent announcements however, we’re still waiting on the big one: who will be the next James Bond? While some fan favorite choices such as Idris Elba and Dan Stevens have essentially aged out of the role in the intervening years, speculation is still rife, with the likes of James Norton, Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Regé-Jean Page frequently thrown into the mix. There’s even the possibility they surprise us all and deliver a Logan-type story with a grizzled Pierce Brosnan reprising the role.
Whatever the case, while it’s a shame Broccoli and Wilson won’t be part of it, it’s great to see a Bond film moving forward, and with such exciting names attached. Although with Villeneuve set to write and direct a third Dune movie before turning his attention to 007, we could yet be in for our longest wait ever. But one thing’s for sure – James Bond will return.
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