'It's sacred territory,' says Denis Villeneuve, director of next Bond movie

Oscar-nominated Denis Villeneuve will officially direct the next James Bond film, according to Amazon's MGM Studios, taking charge of one of Hollywood's most enigmatic spies and longest-running movie series.

Villeneuve, a Canadian film director and writer, has earned critical acclaim for films such as Sicario, Dune, Dune: Part Two, Blade Runner 2049 and Arrival.

He was nominated for Best Director at the 2017 Oscars for sci-fi film Arrival, which starred Amy Adams and Jeremy Renner, and for Best Adapted Screenplay for Dune based on author Frank Herbert's highly acclaimed 1965 novel of the same name, at the 2022 Oscars.

“I'm a diehard Bond fan. 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 huge responsibility,” Villeneuve said.

The upcoming Bond movie will be the first under Amazon's MGM Studios, which took creative control of the franchise under a new joint venture with longtime rights holders Michael Wilson and Barbara Broccoli earlier this year.

The franchise is yet to name a new lead actor following Daniel Craig's departure after No Time to Die in 2021, which earned nearly $800m (R14.09bn) in global box office collections.

Inspired by Ian Fleming's novels, the Bond franchise has spanned more than 60 years, grossing more than $7bn (R123.33bn) at the global box office, making it one of the most successful ever.

Amy Pascal and David Heyman will produce the next Bond movie.

Reuters