I agree. I just pray even that’s realistic and not overly hopeful.
2 Likes
Typo.
2027 at the earliest, for sure.
You see, I am so good with numbers.
5 Likes
I stand by November 2027, but even if later im okay with it. The following along, speculating and researching what all the cast and crew have done before in build to the first poster or trailer…this bit is always fun.
6 Likes
Definitely intrigued by this part. Heavily suggests that he secured the job based both on the obvious strength of his abilities as a writer/director but also because he has an idea that was acceptable to the parties involved. I can’t see Villeneuve coming on board with the idea to make Die Another Day: Part 2, so this feels like another very positive aspect to what was already fantastic news.
11 Likes
5 Likes
Among the popular rumored choices are Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Richard Madden, Idris Elba, Tom Hardy, and Henry Cavill.
Still no Bond article without a quantum of BS.
7 Likes
Fingers crossed for November 2027. I’m feeling good about how things are progressing, especially if we’re playing 007 First Light next year and getting Bond 26 updates along the way.
5 Likes
That really is interesting.
What might Villeneuve have pitched them? He has stated that he was deeply impressed by Craig’s tenure, calling him the “ultimate Bond”. And even if we strip away all the “strategically safe answer BS in a press interview during Craig’s majorly successful tenure” I can believe that the Craig era was in Villeneuve´s wheelhouse.
Taking into account that Amazon apparently considered him or Berger and chose Villeneuve, though, I believe that they went for the bigger name, also someone who already proved that he could manage a huge production with complicated SFX.
They must have at least liked his initial ideas for Bond, too. But first and foremost they wanted to be in business with him because his name alone gives prestige and credibility to their approach. Now the development process starts, and everything can change during that. The first pitch is always promising everything while being, naturally, vague. And I don’t think Villeneuve came into that meeting with a very detailed plan already.
So, at least I think that a very good director is now attached, the ball is rolling, and while I would have preferred someone else, with a more laid back and humouristic view on life and Bond, I am looking forward to the new film(s). Simply to be able to engage with a new Bond story.
7 Likes
I was pleasantly surprised to read the announcement of the new Bond 26 director Denis Villeneuve. If things weren’t moving forward before, they certainly will be now.
I’ve only seen Arrival and Blade Runner 2049 of Villeneuve’s films. I thought they were entertaining and had great visuals, but I wasn’t blown away with either one. But, having said that, he does seem to be a solid director, and is certainly heralded, so that is good. Although his lack of anything resembling the James Bond humor in his work (which others have mentioned in previous posts) gives me some pause. However, his skill as a director and his clear enthusiasm for the 007 series nevertheless makes me cautiously optimistic. Maybe he’ll use this Bond opportunity to branch out with some “lighter-hearted” moments/quips–at least more than he’s done previously, and which is something the Bond series is renowned for. After the Daniel Craig films, we need more of them.
But whether we wind up getting a Roger Moore-style Bond adventure or a Sean Connery one (or even a Craig one), Amazon/MGM has once again made a good Bond 26 decision and is getting off to a very solid and promising start. They are definitely taking this series seriously (at least for this first film), and that can only help their chances at success and winning over the large Bond fan base. Hopefully, it continues.
As for Villeneuve’s schedule, I don’t see how we can expect Bond 26 to come out before late 2027, if then. Hopefully, we’ll get it in Nov/Dec 2027. 
And though I am not as confident as I was a few months ago that Henry Cavill will indeed be cast as James Bond 007, I still hold out hope for–and believe he should be–Bond #7. Go Henry! 
5 Likes
Blade Runner 2049 is my favourite from Villeneuve. The original is more iconic, naturally, but the sequel is engaging and just as thought provoking. It’s a true extension that retains the general spirit of the original without feeling like a retread. That’s what I’d be hoping for with Bond 26, too.
There’s not much action but there doesn’t need to be. There’s a real ambience about it that seeps into your soul, especially with loneliness, which is very relevant to our society. K living alone but with the illusion of Joi and Deckard living completely alone for years in his massive building.
I love how there’s always underlying subtext to the content and how it makes you question if something is real, and if that even matters. With that in mind, Denis is able to take on cult classics, stand up to the pressure and deliver something worthy of the legacy but also brand new.
5 Likes
Sounds exactly like what we need for the next film.
8 Likes
OK, I admit that math is not my strongest suit, but I’m confused. No Time to Die was released in 2021.
Ah, I misread your post. I interpreted it to mean that the October 2027 film would be the one new Bond film. Mea culpa!
2 Likes
That said, it’s not really news or unexpected. Any big IP in the franchise game is bound to be controlled by the studio, regardless how big the director’s name is. Only Nolan is his own studio today, a big outlier.
2 Likes
It was to be expected.
I wonder whether he had Final Cut with his other studio films - and I doubt it. That right only have either auteurs of indie pictures which come with very concentrated budgets (Wes Anderson) or… well… Spielberg.
Even Tarantino who enjoyed freedom under his tenure at Miramax and the Weinstein Company will have fought for everything with Sony (and maybe that’s also what keeps him from doing his final movie so far). Times really have changed, and even the big names have to give up rights and money. I bet even Scorsese cannot dictate to Apple what he wants. Scott, on the other hand, probably does not care and just moves on to his next picture.
2 Likes
Tom Holland would be wrong, but the other 2 are interesting. Also they would have budged on the final cut thing for Christopher Nolan.
3 Likes
Oh, no. I don’t see any of them as fitting candidates.
But that’s what I feared: Amazon wants a kid Bond.
And before anybody says „But Connery was only 32!“ I have to point out that he looked more… mature.
1 Like
Even still, Amazon is looking at a 2028 release date for Bond 26. Anything sooner would be impossible to pull off, given the film’s scale, sources say.
Bummer, 2028.
5 Likes