Quick Bond pulse check: Denis Villeneuve has the keys to 007, the rumor mill is grinding itself into dust, and the only thing that actually matters right now is a script.
Where things really stand
Villeneuve is set to direct the next James Bond movie for Amazon MGM Studios. That came together in June 2025, right after Amazon secured full creative control of the franchise from longtime stewards Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson. Before he swaps spice for martinis, he is finishing Dune: Part Three.
Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight is writing the new Bond script. I’m told the delivery could be imminent, which is the first real domino that needs to fall before anything else happens.
'Anything you hear on the Bond casting front is bulls--t until the script is delivered and the screen tests can happen. There is absolutely no one who is getting this role without testing for it.'
About those casting rumors
The internet keeps cycling through names: Taron Egerton, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Callum Turner. Last week, a wave of breathless chatter pushed Jacob Elordi to the front of the line with claims he’d been offered the job. That’s not where things are. No decision has been made because they haven’t started the actual testing process yet. Until the script lands, it’s all just noise.
Timeline, targets, and the real clock
- Dune: Part Three is dated for December 2026. Villeneuve wraps that before diving into Bond.
- Knight’s script is in the works; once it’s turned in, screen tests can begin. That is the moment to watch.
- The internal hope is to have the new Bond movie out in 2028, which puts pressure on casting and pre-production to heat up this year.
- There is no official release date yet.
'Amazon ideally wants this new Bond movie out in 2028, which would put an emphasis on casting and pre-production this year.'
So here’s the play: when tests start, you’ll feel it. Until then, brace for weekly shortlists that age like milk. The second the script is in and the doors open for screen tests, the real contenders will separate from the chatter.