Denis Villeneuve Officially Appointed as Director of the 〈007〉 Series Following Sam Mendes

 Director Denis Villeneuve, who helmed the 〈Dune〉 series, has been officially appointed as the director for the next installment of the 〈007〉 series.

Amazon MGM Studios, the film and drama production subsidiary of the world's largest e-commerce company Amazon, announced on the 25th (local time) that Villeneuve will take the megaphone for the next James Bond film, as reported by Reuters and AFP.

Canadian-born Villeneuve made his film debut in 1998 and was invited to the Cannes Film Festival competition section in 2015 with 〈Sicario: City of the Assassins〉, and the following year in 2016, he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Director for the film 〈Arrival〉.

He has been praised for successfully leading major sci-fi franchises such as 〈Blade Runner 2049〉 (2017) and 〈Dune〉 (2021), as well as 〈Dune: Part 2〉 (2024), earning him a place among Hollywood's top directors.

In a statement, Villeneuve expressed, "I am a die-hard (James) Bond fan. This is like a sanctuary for me," adding, "I want to keep the tradition while paving the way for many new missions to come. This is an incredibly big responsibility."

It has not yet been revealed who will play the lead role as the successor to Daniel Craig, who portrayed James Bond in the 2021 release 〈No Time to Die〉.

The 〈007〉 series, based on the spy novels by British author Ian Fleming, has been beloved worldwide for over 60 years since its first film adaptation in 1962. The series has grossed over $7 billion (approximately 9.47 trillion won), making it one of the most successful global media franchises.

Meanwhile, Amazon MGM Studios also announced that Amy Pascal and David Heyman will serve as producers for the upcoming project.