There’s a good reason why director Denis Villeneuve won’t do a Bond film as of right now, but it has nothing to do with a desire to stay away from the franchise. Instead it has to do with his commitment to another film that he was picked for, Dune. The epic scifi/fantasy movie has been done in a couple of different ways throughout the years but it would appear that film makers are keen to bring out yet another rendition of Frank Herbert’s timeless classic so as to give people exactly what it is that they want. Of course the wait for Dune might be longer than most people think since the idea is still on the table and hasn’t really gotten started yet.
Villeneuve was on a very short list of directors that were selected as those that might be able to direct another Bond film, but as he was already on the line for Dune he had to decline. His reasoning is that while he would very much like to do a Bond film he is already fully committed to doing Dune and can’t be in two places at once. That’s a wise decision really since two epic movies such as these would no doubt demand a great deal of his time and could tear him in two different directions at once if not more. The effort of keeping up with a Bond film and then having to make sure that everything is on pace with Dune would be maddening, not mention that it wouldn’t afford him much if any downtime during the filming process.
Villeneuve actually has said that he would love to work with Daniel Craig and would gladly do so if the chance came along. In fact it’s believed that since Dune is not in production yet or even close there might still be a chance since Bond 25 could possibly be ready to go and might even be close to done, if not done, by the time that Dune’s script is finalized and ready to go. The issue with movies being greenlit and ready for production is that there seems to be an entire process that has to be gone through in which agreements have to be made, deals have to be struck, and all the right palms have to be greased or otherwise shaken before anything of any significance can happen with a major motion picture. Maybe this is why some people prefer Indie movies.
In my own personal opinion Bond is a concept that seems to be going either nowhere or in a decidedly decaying circle as new ideas are slow in coming and the premise is beginning to feel rather flat. Yes, Bond has been an icon and an institution for a lot of years, but the character might need to be retired or replaced, or both eventually, so that the torch can finally be passed on. Don’t reboot him, don’t remake him, let Bond just move along in life. As for Dune, well, maybe third time’s the charm.
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