Hear Me Out: Denis Villeneuve is the perfect director to take James Bond into the future
After taking on a German bullion dealer with an unhealthy gold obsession, a media mogul convinced of sparking WWIII, and a villainous maverick who wants to commit global genocide from space, in 2021, James Bond finally kicked the bucket. While most fans were distraught to see an icon of British cinema be knocked off after over half a century of narrowly escaping impossible situations, there’s no doubt that the bold decision has allowed the franchise to reset from the bottom up.
Now, arguably, the Bond franchise has needed this for some time. After all, it isn’t exactly known for its effortless ability to move with the times. Decades of camp mediocrity followed in the footsteps of Sean Connery when he completed his final movie, Diamonds Are Forever, in 1971, and Daniel Craig and the production team behind his reign as 007 became responsible for revolutionising the hero for the 21st century.
Suddenly, this unstoppable cartoon-like spy and womaniser was entirely fallible; punches hurt him and losing companions caused a very real emotional toll. It was a wise move from Bond producer Barbara Broccoli and one that made the ‘boomer hero’ relevant again. Now, it seems that Bond needs another makeover, with the Canadian filmmaker Denis Villeneuve being the perfect choice for Broccoli if she wants to keep Bond on the top of the Hollywood pile.
Well-versed in the world of action and thriller filmmaking, Villeneuve has long been a shoo-in to helm a James Bond movie, with fans wishing for him to follow in the footsteps of recent directors Cary Joji Fukunaga, Sam Mendes and Martin Campbell. The director is also keen on pursuing the job himself, having been raised on 007 flicks since his youth, thrilled by the work of Sean Connery and Roger Moore, among others.
“Listen, I would love to do a Bond movie,” he told Screen Crush in 2017, “I think Daniel Craig is a fantastic actor, and I would like to, but several months ago, I came into do Dune, and I engaged myself. I committed myself, and I’m someone that doesn’t step back…Bond is an old fantasy of mine, but I can’t be in two places at the same time. It’s a strange year because I would love to do a James Bond. I need to focus”.
Indeed, Villeneuve has very much had his hands full ever since. Releasing Blade Runner 2049 in 2017, followed by gargantuan sci-fi epics Dune Parts I & II, yet, with the grand trilogy soon to be coming to a close, the Canadian visionary might have some space in his diary.
Demonstrating that he is more than capable of handling beloved franchises, Villeneuve would be an inspired choice to lead Bond to new pastures, especially considering that he is also an inspired mind when it comes to action set pieces. Similarly to how Christopher Nolan continues to inspire with the scope of his cinematic vision, Villeneuve has also given modern cinema some of its most spectacular moments, many of which are present in his behemoth sci-fi Dune.
Bond is a franchise that has long suffered from stiff formality, yet Villeneuve is a filmmaker known for his punchy cinematic bravery, having the ability to give the franchise a shot of adrenaline, while also being able to properly handle the fallible hero. After all, his own protagonists are similar beings, with Ryan Gosling’s K in Blade Runner and Hugh Jackman’s Keller in Prisoners sharing the same physical strength and mental fragility.
Capable of massive moments of gorgeous action explosivity and quiet moments of contemplative reflection, if there’s one man to lead Bond into the future, make it Villeneuve.
