New James Bond movie writer announced as Amazon says it “can’t wait” to get started
The name’s Knight. Steven Knight. The creator of Peaky Blinders and its forthcoming movie adaptation, The Immortal Manis confirmed to be writing the new James Bond movie, reports Deadline. In addition to his smash-hit Cillian Murphy gangster series, Knight has also helmed the acclaimed likes of Locke starring Tom Hardy, and the less acclaimed likes of Serenity starring Matthew McConaughey and Anne Hathaway.
“It has always been on my bucket list and it’s fantastic to be invited to do it — I can’t wait to get started,” Knight told BBC Radio 5 Live Breakfast. “I’m hoping that, being a Bond fan for so many years, it will be imbued into me and I will be able to produce something that’s the same but different, and better, stronger and bolder.”
Amazon MGM studios has already assigned Dune filmmaker Denis Villeneuve to helm the latest 007 project. Villeneuve, who is currently working on Dune: Messiah, will collaborate with producers Amy Pascal (Spider-Man) and David Heyman (Harry Potter).
Pascal and Heyman said, “Denis Villeneuve has been in love with James Bond movies since he was a little boy. It was always his dream to make this movie, and now it’s ours, too. We are lucky to be in the hands of this extraordinary filmmaker.”
Amazon MGM attracted considerable press attention when they wrested control of the Bond empire from longstanding franchise producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli earlier this year.
In 2022, Amazon acquired MGM for $8.5 billion, and the fallout between the top brass, Broccoli and Wilson was rumoured to be acrimonious. Amazon also announced that Wilson and Broccoli will form a joint venture to house the James Bond intellectual property rights, and those parties will remain co-owners of the franchise. Under these new terms, Amazon MGM Studios will have full creative control of the James Bond series.
Speaking to Deadline, Amazon CEO Andy Jassy said, “James Bond is in the hands of one of today’s greatest filmmakers”, adding, “We cannot wait to get started on 007’s next adventure”.
There’s no word yet as to who will be playing the next Bond. Actor Daniel Craig bowed out with the Broccoli/Wilson-produced No Time to Die, released in 2021. Craig’s acclaimed turn completed a rare character arc for Bond with his films acting less like standalone entries and more like component parts of a wider emotional narrative.
Anticipation is reaching fever pitch over the James Bond casting. Do the likes of Josh O’Connor or Jack Lowden stand a chance of donning 007’s tux in Steven Knight and Villeneuve’s film? No doubt we’ll find out soon enough.
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