Denis Villeneuve has proven over the past couple of years that he can switch gears at the drop of a hat. With Prisoners, Enemy, and this year's Sicario, the French-Canadian director has proven that he can change up genres and not lose a step. Which makes his ambition to take on the James Bond franchise not only plausible, but a very wise move to be made.
Coming Soon spoke with Villeneuve about his current drug trade thriller, which is slowly rolling into nationwide release. As the conversation started to wind up, the director dropped a perfect hint towards his candidacy for director of Bond 25. His pitch went as follows:
I was raised with James Bond. I love James Bond movies. I would love to do a James Bond movie one day. Action is very cinematic. I’m not someone that loves dialogue – I am someone that loves movement. Action, if it’s well done, can be very poetic and meaningful.
With his work thus far, Denis Villeneuve has shown a flare for good looking genre films that manage to transcend their boundaries and entertain a wide swath of movie audiences and critics. Just ask anyone who was a fan of Prisoners back in 2013, and they'll tell you that the first time they saw the film they were blown away. Even in the way he pitches his candidacy to direct a James Bond film, the man hints towards his ambitions subtly, yet with enthusiasm. At the same time, he links his wishes into how he sees his craft, and shows just how he'd approach his take on 007's iconic legacy.
If Sam Mendes lives up to his word and exits after Spectre, as he's sworn he will, then having another director in the pipeline would be a good idea to keep the franchise flowing properly. Having Denis Villeneuve as that ace in the hole preserves the optimal timeline of, at most, two years between Bond films, while also assuring fans that the action heavy series will be transferring into safe hands. Also, there's a good chance that Hugh Jackman and Roger Deakins could submit their resumes to jump on board with their Prisoners collaborator, and actually land the gig.
The one factor that gums up the works, at least temporarily, is Villeneuve's involvement with the Blade Runner sequel, which is currently in development, but lacks an official release date. Considering how great in scope the task that the Ridley Scott produced project would be for anyone daring enough to tackle it, even Denis Villeneuve's nimble touch will be challenged by trying to juggle it with another project. Still, the man did manage to direct the Jeremy Renner / Amy Adams sci-fi picture Story Of Your Life in time to be released next year, so perhaps he's got the magic in him to go from Deckard to Bond in a blink of an eye.
Sicario is currently in limited release, with a full nationwide release date set for Friday.
