Denis Villeneuve Says His BOND 26 Movie is the "Powerful Rocket" He Needed to Pull Him Away From DUNE

Director Denis Villeneuve has been obsessed with the story of Frank Herbert's Dune since he was 13 years old. He began drawing storyboards and mapping out what a film adaptation would look like.

Now it’s 46 years later, and he has spent the last decade making that dream a reality. He pitched his vision to legendary pictures in 2016, and after finishing Blade Runner 2049 (2017), he dove in and developed his trilogy that is about to conclude with Dune: Part Three.

But after that much of his life devoted to the story, characters, and that world, how can he pivot to something new? He talked about breaking away from Arrakis, and finding his next exact right project in a recent interview with Empire, where he explained:

“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.’ I want to make sure that I will be severe with the material.

“That I will not be complacent.” Next up? 007 awaits… “I thought, ‘When it’s done, I need a very powerful rocket to pull me away from Arrakis.’ When I was asked to do the next Bond, I said: ‘Okay, this is what I need.’”

This is definitely another rich story with so much backstory he can dive into. It’s completely different from Dune, but exciting and engaging in its own right. I am looking forward to seeing who our next James Bond will be, and I think Villeneuve is a great director to bring a thrilling new Bond movie to life.

Bond 26 is currently in pre-production. Stay tuned for updates.