Denis Villeneuve has revealed exactly why he agreed to direct the next James Bond film — he needed a escape vehicle. The Dune director told Empire magazine that his upcoming 007 movie will be the “very powerful rocket” required to finally pull him away from Arrakis after his third and final trip to the desert planet.
Villeneuve recently confirmed he will return to Dune for one last chapter, and in the same interview explained the creative logic connecting the two biggest jobs of his career.
Denis Villeneuve (Credits: Warner Bros.)
“I Need A Powerful Rocket To Pull Me Away From Arrakis”
Speaking to Empire, Villeneuve said he chose to make a third Dune film not out of nostalgia — quite the opposite. “I said, ‘Maybe it’s a good idea to go back to this project, not out of nostalgia, not because I miss it, but the opposite — I’m tired of it,'” he explained. “I want to make sure that I will be severe with the material. That I will not be complacent.”
But once that final chapter is done, the director knows he’ll need something seismic to break the gravitational pull of the franchise that has defined his last decade. “When it’s done, I need a very powerful rocket to pull me away from Arrakis,” he said. “When I was asked to do the next Bond, I said: ‘OK, this is what I need.'”
A Dream Job For A Lifelong Bond Fan
The Bond gig is something Villeneuve has circled for years. The Canadian auteur — whose credits include Blade Runner 2049, Arrival and Sicario — has spoken repeatedly about his love for 007, and the announcement that he would helm the franchise’s post-Daniel Craig reboot was met with genuine excitement across the industry.
Details on the next Bond remain closely guarded: no new 007 has been officially announced, and Amazon MGM Studios — which took creative control of the franchise — is keeping its casting cards tight to its chest. But with Villeneuve committing to the project directly after finishing Dune’s third installment, the timeline suggests the superspy reboot is one of the highest priorities in the industry right now.
First, though, there’s Arrakis. Villeneuve’s third Dune film will conclude the story of Paul Atreides as adapted from Frank Herbert’s Dune Messiah, and the director has made it clear this will be his definitive goodbye to the saga — severe, unsentimental, and final. Then, at last, the rocket launches: Bond, Villeneuve style.
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Source: Variety — read the full story there.