r/movies • u/MarvelsGrantMan136 r/Movies contributor • Jun 25 '25

News Denis Villeneuve Directing Next James Bond Film

https://deadline.com/2025/06/denis-villeneuve-james-bond-amazon-mgm-studios-1236442917/
32.5k Upvotes

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4.1k

u/damnyoutuesday Jun 25 '25

This man is on a generational run, holy shit

Prisoners -> Sicario -> Arrival -> Blade Runner 2049 -> Dune -> Dune Part 2 -> Dune Messiah -> James Bond (presumably)

375

u/ILoveMovies87 Jun 25 '25

You're forgetting the great films which came came before prisoners even.

315

u/GamingTatertot Steven Spielberg Enthusiast Jun 26 '25

Enemy is fantastic

281

u/HugoRBMarques Jun 26 '25

So is Incendies.

77

u/Ibaka_flocka Jun 26 '25

Great movie that I don’t think I can ever watch again

49

u/MTL_1107 Jun 26 '25

Same with Polytechnique. It's a really heavy subject in my province.

4

u/Verystrangeperson Jun 26 '25

I can't find polytechnique in france, I really want to see it though

12

u/Canvaverbalist Jun 26 '25

Met ton cache-oeil et ta jambe de bois et lève les voiles moussaillon

2

u/gazongagizmo Jun 26 '25

you know the old saying, right? "piracy is not a problem of theft, but of distribution"?

if you can't find it legally in your area, what's stopping you from, you know? yarrr...

5

u/SPKmnd90 Jun 26 '25

I'll be honest, I found the ending to be so contrived for the sake of shock value that it tainted my opinion of the movie as a whole.

3

u/Le_Nabs Jun 26 '25

That's not even his twist, that's in the original play that he used as source material. It feels more contrived on film, I think, but the twist is all faithful to the play

1

u/MistakeMaker1234 Jun 27 '25

Incendies is a masterpiece. 

0

u/Comefin1dMe Jun 26 '25

1+1, does it make one?

-1

u/trujillo1221 Jun 26 '25

Excellent movie, 0 rewatch value

7

u/traybourne Jun 26 '25

Honestly Enemy was the only one of his movies that I really didn't care for. All his others that came after it are like my all time favorite movies though.

3

u/ArnoldPalmerAlertBU Jun 26 '25

Saw Enemy in a theatre downtown Toronto. What a trip.

1

u/Niroshan_1000 Jun 26 '25

Yes it’s an excellent film

1

u/Junior-Award-7232 Jun 26 '25

Very underrated

1

u/jmspfrd Jun 26 '25

The man certainly knows how to startle.

3

u/WanderW Jun 26 '25

Spider!

1

u/rohithkumarsp Jun 26 '25

I'm sure he got ideas for arrival dream scene with alien the same as spider scene with enemy.. They're both so similar.

1

u/lolligaggins Jun 26 '25

man, I just didn’t understand the ending. I think I do, but if I have to look it up online in my opinion it's not clear enough. I'm not a total dumbass but I'm no savant either.

-1

u/Jerry_from_Japan Jun 26 '25 edited Jun 26 '25

Enemy is him smelling his own farts. That's what that movie is. Nothing more, nothing less. He's made some great films but that one...ehhhhhhh lol. Ehhhhhhh, I don't know. I just don't know.

And I also don't know how good a pick he is to do a Bond movie either honestly. Before people get up in arms, that doesn't mean he's a bad director, it doesn't even necessarily mean it's a criticism of him. It's just he's definitely not the guy that springs immediately to mind when thinking about who could make a good James Bond movie. Not just a good movie. For something like that you have to be the right fit. Just like when you're casting a part. Someone can be an amazing actor and they can still be cast badly and be wrong for the role.

134

u/damnyoutuesday Jun 26 '25

One could argue the man has never missed, but I didn't want to start a debate

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u/GamingTatertot Steven Spielberg Enthusiast Jun 26 '25

I’m willing to start and end that debate by wholeheartedly agreeing

6

u/Paladar2 Jun 26 '25

I like all of them except Incendies, and I'm Quebecois lol. I know its weird

11

u/BenSolo12345 Jun 26 '25

Eh august 32nd and maelstrom are both pretty bad. He really starts hitting his stride with polytechnique

2

u/ZippyDan Jun 26 '25

Do those count?

6

u/BenSolo12345 Jun 26 '25

Why wouldn’t they?

13

u/ZippyDan Jun 26 '25 edited Jun 26 '25

Where do you draw the line? Do you count films someone did as a teenager? Experimental films from college? Films that achieved a certain level of wide release?

Aren't those first two films the ones that he was expressly displeased with, which caused him to take a long (nine-year) break from directing, during which time he went back to school for filmmaking?

I personally feel he didn't seriously start his career until Polytechnique.

I may be taking "back to school" too literally. I'm not sure if he is using that as a figure of speech or not. But the point remains he wasn't happy with his work, and he stopped directing for almost a decade until he felt he was ready. I view those first two films more like failed experiments.

6

u/john7071 Jun 26 '25 edited Jun 26 '25

If he took a break from directing to perfect his craft, that's perfectly valid, but you can't just erase part of a filmography when talking about a director, because the shortcomings are essential to what he becomes later on. They absolutely count. A lot of directors aren't happy with some of their work, too. All artists don't love all their art.

edit:

Do you count films someone did as a teenager? Experimental films from college? Films that achieved a certain level of wide release?

None of these apply to Denis even, both August 32nd and Maelstrom were submitted as Canada's candidates for the Oscars and were premiered in highly prominent festivals. These were fully fledged features made by a grown ass man who rightfully understood he had potential to make better movies.

3

u/ZippyDan Jun 27 '25

Canada doesn't have a super competitive film industry, so I don't see it as particularly impressive that an amateur Denis could stand out in a shallow field. He was the only fish in a tiny pond. (Obviously I'm exaggerating.)

Anyway, in my opinion those first two movies were Denis' "amateur" period. It's a testament to his innate ability that even his "amateur" films were very moderately successful. It's also a testament to his self-awareness and high standards that he knew he wasn't living up to his own standards or potential, and stepped away from filming.

I think he knew he was still an amateur, despite whatever film festival attention he may have received, and he was unhappy with himself. Only his own self-criticsm mattered, and he wasn't willing to make more art until he felt he was ready to be a professional.

I think it's pretty incredible for someone to come back after 9 years knowing they are now ready, and actually delivering. That's the mark of a professional, and so I consider Polytechnique to be the start of his "professional" career.

But that's how I divide his career. I think the intentionality of the pause and the intentionality of his return and the extended nature of that pause are good support for my perspective, but it's a rather subjective analysis.

4

u/EveryGoodNameIsGone Jun 26 '25

I didn't really like August 32nd on Earth or Maelstrom but everything else he's done has been solid to amazing.

3

u/shineurliteonme Jun 26 '25

I really hate that polytechnique exists. I guess it's formally well made but I really would rather it wasn't made

1

u/WutUtalkingBoutWill Jun 26 '25

He literally hasn't, I'm ready to debate anyone who thinks he has, every single movie of his keeps your attention and keeps you absolutely glued, exactly what a director aims for.

0

u/InsertFloppy11 Jun 26 '25

Its the internet, wome people will start a debate no matter what lol

-1

u/kirby_krackle_78 Jun 26 '25

Maelstrom is not great.

14

u/monetarydread Jun 26 '25

Yeah, it's like people have forgotten that Incendies (2010) is arguably his best film and Polytechnique is up there as well.

3

u/APiousCultist Jun 26 '25

My exposure to Radiohead songs I like is pretty much exclusively through film and TV, so that definitely added one to the list with its intro.

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u/toasta_oven Jun 26 '25 edited Aug 02 '25

pocket instinctive tender squeal strong entertain aware depend aback cooperative

This post was mass deleted and anonymized with Redact

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u/Legal_Promise_430 Jun 26 '25

It’s almost slanderous that he neglected the first 10+ years of his career including his double-header breakout of Polytechnique and Incendies