You´re absolutely right. Should BLADE RUNNER 2049 be a flop with critics, DUNE might be put on the shelf again, with producers looking for another director. EON might then also move on to another guy.
Villeneuve is highly regarded right now but he never had a huge box office hit. Early tracking has BLADE RUNNER 2049 only opening in the 40 milions, which would be rather disappointing for a production that costly. It might also not appeal to enough people, only the current “dad”-generation who were teenagers when the first one was released.
I´m looking forward to BLADE RUNNER 2049 very much because I love the original film and because I consider Villeneuve a brilliant director.
Not that it equates to this sequel, with all its hype, but of course the original Blade Runner was a flop on release, so it would be in esteemed company.
A Blade Runner flop would inevitably put the kibosh on Dune, as that would no doubt be a mega budget affair. But then he’d be available for Bond. I’m a winner either way as i’d relish both Dune and a Villeneuve Bond (which would likely lure Deakins back into the fold and that arguably a bigger coup than any of the directors mentioned
Why not hope for both, BOND 25 directed by Villeneuve and his take on Dune after that? There is actually no pressing need to do the Dune adaptation first. The entire Dune complex has been waiting for decades for a proper remake, a couple of years longer won’t change anything. If Villeneuve then brings home a success with Bond he’d have more clout for Dune, which is going to be a struggle anyway.
Oh, indeed, that scenario is the dream. However, if the brief interviews i recall are a gauge he seems set upon Dune next. If Blade Runner is deemed successful enough i don’t see Bond enticing him away from that.
If BR flops, then a Bond hit would certainly improve the odds on Dune, but surely the money will look at BR as a better predictor for Dune than Bond.
Anyhow, both, in whatever order would be spectacular, imo.
Depends on the response - Blade Runners original flop status would give enough lee way for Bond 25 to be seen as a good indicator of what he is truly capable of in regards to big films. Also we’re talking about sci-fi, a genre that always plays better in the long run for good films than opening weekends, even if that long run is a strong run on home video/DVD/streaming etc.
Unless Dune is planned as a relatively low budget movie, then the studio will want a good return on their investment. They’ll probably prioritise that over critical longevity and streaming revenue.
I should emphasise by leeway I mean small profit (but still profit) but strong reviews. If it doesn’t make its budget back and gets torn apart critically, he’s got no hope.
If Villeneuve has signed a contract for DUNE already - and BLADE RUNNER 2049 is a hit, it might make things very difficult for EON to get him to do BOND 25 first, however.
And Villeneuve´s asking price will rise, too.
So… maybe BLADE RUNNER 2049 should not open that high then?
Apparently one of the rags are saying that Craig wants Villeneuve to direct… Well, yeah, i bet he does. Sounds as though the ball may well be in Villeneuve’s court.
Regardless of what happens with BR, which I think is going to do well but not really blockbuster business, it is going to put Villeneuve on the list more so than before. Craig certainly has a voice, but so does Eon. So now there’s the issue of the man himself. Does he want to do a Bond? Is his schedule open? Also, if the distribution deal isn’t set, would Eon sign him on? Would a potential distributor want it all signed, sealed and delivered with no say? Lot’s of “If’s” with all of this, but… We’re Bond fans with 25 months to kill…
BR 2049 is getting very positive early reviews, and a lot that is going PV’s way (apparently the use of Ryan Gosling allows him to get his own voice in the world in a very natural way)
I’d say it doesn’t worsen his chances. Critical acclaim is never bad for a director, so even if BR 2049 shouldn’t turn out to be the ultimate blockbuster he’s at least in the good books of the critics, something Eon likes a lot.
Haven’t heard anything about the music yet. With the original BLADE RUNNER Vangelis’ score was an integral part of creating the atmosphere of that world. I suppose BR 2049 will attract my generation for purely sentimental reasons, the geek squad for PKD and Harrison Ford, and the youngsters for Gosling. If it can appeal to the larger audience too then Villeneuve has got a hit on his hands.
That in turn would mean Legendary would probably like to move fast on Dune. On the other hand, if they can keep patient a little longer they might have a Bond director at Dune’s helm, and maybe their patience would be rewarded with a little extra cash helping their production funds?
But that’s just speculation. Realistically speaking Dune is probably the further advanced project with a script ready or close to, and with preproduction picking up probably as we speak. If Villeneuve has signed already - and that seems to be the case - then Dune will most likely be his next stop.
Agreed. I feel like he’ll do one at some point, just probably not the next one.
My line of thinking is that if this is Craig’s last one, then they’ll want some consistency at the helm bringing in the next star, as opposed to an untested actor AND an untested directory (according to the Paul McGuigan interview, that was the deciding factor in bringing back Martin Campbell for CR). So if, for argument’s sake, it’s Yann Demange (hitherto unknown by the general public and probably with a low asking price), and BOND 25 meets expectations, then IMO they’ll bring him back for BOND 26 to help establish Bond #7, and after that we’ll see someone else in the director’s chair, like Villeneuve, Mackenzie, or – I say it because I fear it’s an inevitability – Tom Hooper.
General speculation question: does anyone else have the feeling that, whether or not he’s the most appropriate choice, Ed Sheeran will get the gig for the next title theme? He fits the mold of British recording artists who are “the next big thing” after Adele and Sam Smith, between his commercial and critical success (and Grammy awards).
It’d probably sound like “I See Fire” (from “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug”) but with booming orchestral backing.
Ford strikes me as a director who primarily is in the business to do ‘his’ films, adaptation projects he’s got on his cooker for years and which are dear to him. I don’t see him as a director for the blockbuster genre, where part of the deal is to delegate and coordinate a huge machinery, invest major planning from day one and then bring together the pieces in another demanding effort. Ford’s two films seem to have been comparatively intimate affairs.
But then again, who knows? If Ford would like to change his stride and put more than his fashion into a Bond film, why not?
My first reaction is that it will never happen - Ford is still a “novice” resume-wise and I’m unconvinced a major studio would entrust a mega-budget project to someone at that point in their career.
My second reaction is - I’ve enjoyed both his efforts - he would be a fascinating addition to the team. This generation EON I suspect have toyed with the idea of having a more “auteur” approach now and again and yet understandably the need for commercial success has always overruled it, either during the process (Apted for example), or prior (various names banded around for QoS).
From a purely fan perspective, IMHO a series with this many entries should have taken an occasional flyer along the way.
He is certainly a film novice but to play devil’s advocate - look at someone like Colin Trevorrow who had one indie film under his belt before Universal handed him Jurassic World.
I think if he had a vision for Bond that intrigued EON, BB, MGW, and the department heads could guide the way.
Maybe the thing is that the studios are more willing to take a risk with a newcomer - but not so much with what they expect from them? Ford strikes me as a director in search of substance in his films, it would be nice to see that emphasised in a Bond film. But we’ve seen how that can also backfire. It’s not as if it’s never before been tried…
