The wait goes on for the 26th James Bond movie, four-and a-half years on from the last film. Currently, no title, plot, or lead has been announced for 007’s next chapter. We do, however, know the mastermind behind the new adventure: Denis Villeneuve. The Dune filmmaker will direct the movie from a script by Steve Knight (Peaky Blinders).
As fans speculate as to just what is in store for the world’s most famous spy, an interview from the past revealed that Villeneuve’s favorite Bond movie is Casino Royale, the revolutionary beginning to the Daniel Craig era. Looking at that film and the director’s past work gives us a possible glimpse of what to expect.
Denis Villeneuve is a Long-Time Bond Fan
The French-Canadian director was announced as the director of the next James Bond movie in June 2025. When the news broke, the BBC shared a clip from a 2021 interview where he expressed his love for the series and his favorite installment. “I would say that I’m a major Bond fan,” he revealed when asked what his “guilty pleasure” is. “There’s nothing like a good James Bond to cheer you up.”
As for his go-to Bond movie? “Casino Royale, the first Daniel Craig Bond, is still one of my favorites of all time,” he said. “Skyfall, as well. I went through those movies several times in difficult periods!” He also revealed to the Happy Sad Confused podcast that he viewed Craig’s performance as “unique, strong, and probably unmatchable,” declaring him “the ultimate James Bond.”
Director Martin Campbell’s thriller is the highest rated non-Sean Connery Bond on Rotten Tomatoes and was the most successful 007 movie ever with $606 million at the box office (before being surpassed by three of the four Craig sequels). So, what makes it so memorable?
‘Casino Royale’ Set the Tone for a New Era
Image via Sony Pictures Releasing
Four years after Pierce Brosnan’s departure in Die Another Day, Daniel Craig stepped into the famous tuxedofor Casino Royale, the 2006 adaptation of Ian Fleming’s first 007 novel. It reset the continuity of the series, presenting Bond as a newly assigned Double-O Agent, who travels to Monte Carlo to foil the plan of Le Chiffre (Mads Mikkelsen), a private banker to terrorists who has set up a high-stakes poker game.
The movie takes Bond in a different direction, influenced by action movies that had risen to prominence in the time that the secret agent had been away, such as the Jason Bourne franchise. Gone were the gadgets and camp humor, making way for a more psychological approach that served as a kind of origin story. Through the mind games played at the poker table, and his doomed romance with government contact Vesper Lynd (Eva Green), we see the path it took to make Bond the cold, calculating agent he would become. Casino Royale was the first and arguably most effective attempt to get inside 007’s mind without losing any of the excitement.
‘Casino Royale’s Style Matches Denis Villeneuve’s Work
Dune – 2021 (1)
A darker, more cerebral Bond would definitely match the style and tone Denis Villeneuve has become known for. With his Dune franchise, he psychologically deconstructed a man destined to become a deity, filling the sand dunes with emotional obstacles as life-threatening as the sandworms. In his other films, such as Arrival, Prisoners, and Sicario, characters’ mindsets were as important as the premises they found themselves in.
He’s also adept at finding new ways to tell beloved stories. He directed Blade Runner 2049, a movie that dared to follow up one of the most seminal science-fiction films of all time, and succeeded. The stunning visuals fit right in with the world that Ridley Scott created, while also working in a compelling tale about what it means to be human and how one finds purpose. Being able to satisfy a long-running aesthetic while still bringing something new is surely a plus on any potential Bond director’s résumé.
Both Villeneuve’s directing style, and his choice of favorite Bond movie, suggest that his forthcoming 007 adventure will be grounded, brutal, and determined to evolve the long-running franchise. The next movie will likely be the longest fans have ever waited for a new installment, but given the filmmaker’s passion for the franchise and track record of delivering innovative stories, it should be worth the wait.
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