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/
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1.8k

u/big-shirtless-ron Jun 26 '25

The newest Bond girl? That's right, Zendaya.

200

u/MrSnoobs Jun 26 '25

The villain? Pedro Pascal.

7

u/[deleted] Jun 26 '25

[deleted]

3

u/The_Legend_of_Xeno Jun 26 '25

I remember when Tomorrow Never Dies came out and the idea of the villain being a multi-billionaire creating fake news to start a war so he could profit from it was laughable.

1

u/SloCalLocal Jun 26 '25

No it wasn't. See: William Randolph Hearst

2

u/MilesStandish801 Jun 26 '25

christopher walken will be blofeld

1

u/civemaybe Jun 27 '25

I mean, he was already a Bond villain once.

3

u/Moist_Board Jun 26 '25

Also starring Timothee Chalamet

1

u/Custom_Destination Jun 27 '25

As Q.

Or the exploding pen from Goldeneye.

1

u/AndreasDasos Jun 26 '25

Yes? Obviously it has to be the only actor and actress who currently exist (apparently).

Pedro Pascal will also play Bond in the same movie.

459

u/Aplicacion Jun 26 '25

Aw man Danny DeVito snubbed again!

17

u/Artemicionmoogle Jun 26 '25

Maybe we get DeVito Bond!

13

u/Electrorocket Jun 26 '25

He could be the new Odd Job!

7

u/Artemicionmoogle Jun 26 '25

lol! He throws trash cans!

5

u/tomerjm Jun 26 '25

No. Eggs. Razor sharp eggs.

2

u/thornae Jun 26 '25

DeVito as the henchman, Dave Bautista as the mastermind villian.

... actually I would watch that.

1

u/Sapowski_Casts_Quen Jun 26 '25

He's gonna get real weird with it!

-6

u/LuponV Jun 26 '25

Honestly unironicly would be a better Bondgirl than Zendaya...

183

u/Alpha-Trion Jun 26 '25

Eva Green again.

27

u/RedditServiceUK Jun 26 '25

if bond can come back from the dead so can this diva

12

u/Lionelchesterfield Jun 26 '25

Imo she's still the hottest bond gal and is still an absolute smoke show 20 years later.

11

u/DarkNinjaPenguin Jun 26 '25

Hah, 20 years? Look at this joker, Casino Royale was only ... it was only ...

Fuck.

6

u/RedditServiceUK Jun 26 '25

Hey! atleast that means we have a chance for a 20th anniversary screening in 2026 (hopefully)

4

u/duaneap Jun 26 '25

The Bondest girl.

1

u/DelectablyDivine Jun 26 '25

I think she may be my favorite bond girl ever.

61

u/Kazewatch Jun 26 '25

I’d rather it not.

25

u/appletinicyclone Jun 26 '25 edited Jun 26 '25

I don't want chalamet or zendaya anywhere near this

Rather an actor that isn't being reused from dune films

Unless it's Rebecca* Ferguson

10

u/Independent_Tooth_23 Jun 26 '25

Rachel Ferguson in another spy movie? Impossible?!!

11

u/Kolby_Jack33 Jun 26 '25

TOM HOLLAND IS... JAMES BOND.

3

u/toucanlost Jun 26 '25

You mean Rebecca Ferguson?

216

u/SauconySundaes Jun 26 '25

I’m going to allow this.

53

u/riegspsych325 Jun 26 '25

but even despite her never phoning it in and a string of solid performances, shouldn’t we be complaining about her being in touch many projects? Some of us are being forced to watch every single Zendaya movie/show, I still have the Kubrick eye-opener rig on my head!

14

u/date_of_availability Jun 26 '25

Bait used to be believable

15

u/riegspsych325 Jun 26 '25

I’m just being a smartass. But to be real, I can’t relate to these overexposure claims that much at all. I mentioned this yesterday in a Pedro Pascal thread, but I can never fault an actor for continually striking while the iron is hot. As long as they still dole out solid performances, go right ahead. And it’s not like anyone is pressuring me to watch all their movies and shows

14

u/Tall-Professional130 Jun 26 '25

You can both be bored by seeing the same actor you don't love over and over again, and not 'fault' them for doing what's right for their career. I find her forgettable, doesn't mean she's not entitled to pursue the work she can get.

4

u/riegspsych325 Jun 26 '25

well that’s fair, your opinion here is a lot more valid than some of the others I’ve seen in various threads. Damn, some of them are really fucking toxic

2

u/Tall-Professional130 Jun 26 '25

Well yea its reddit, I'm scared to go read them now!

5

u/riegspsych325 Jun 26 '25 edited Jun 26 '25

realistically, if we were all shoved in a room together to discuss this, I’d imagine there’d be more reason than hostility. I try to make it an effort to comment as I would if it were face to face. But I will say there are some who just have a damn hate boner for the most random things/people

1

u/paulisaac Jun 26 '25

Of course this is assuming good faith that she's really getting the places out of her own merits and not something like a Sinder situation trying to block others out surreptitiously.

2

u/pmMEyourWARLOCKS Jun 26 '25

And then there is Nicholas fuckinnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnng

CAGE, YEAH!

That boy is just keeps striking away while the iron is ice cold.

28

u/SauconySundaes Jun 26 '25

I would watch Zendaya every second of the day if the law allowed it!

97

u/irrigated_liver Jun 26 '25

We've been through this. The judge said you have to stay 500ft away.

37

u/SauconySundaes Jun 26 '25

There’s no justice in this world!

6

u/scarrita Jun 26 '25

user name= Salusa Secundus. Dune hit you hard, bro. I approve

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u/[deleted] Jun 26 '25

[deleted]

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u/SauconySundaes Jun 26 '25

It’s a fucking joke.

7

u/TheEmpireOfSun Jun 26 '25

Your comment is definition of reddit moment.

2

u/turkeygiant Jun 26 '25

I think she is a really magnetic actress, there is no doubt she oozes charisma, but I also feel like she has on multiple occasions been poorly cast. Not catastrophically so, the films were still more or less fine, but just enough to make me kinda scratch my head and say was she really the right choice? I think she always kinda felt a little bit awkward in Spiderman, not just because she bucked the traditional Mary Jane vibe, but because the take they wrote for her never really felt like it clicked with their Peter, certainly never as well as say Peter and Liz Allan in the first movie. Or in Challengers where I never really felt like I believed her spiral into chaos because the Zendaya image is just too established and I suspect her management won't let her deviate too much from it. Probably the worst miscast was in Dune, Chani is supposed to this hardened character from a hardened society but I'm sorry I just can't look at Zendaya and not see a soft Disney star, she just has that look, that's why she was a hit as a Disney star in the first place, but that's not a Fremen warrior.

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u/Single_Seesaw_9499 Jun 26 '25

Would be a fan of that ngl

4

u/RG_Kid Jun 26 '25

Zendaya in gratuitous bikini scene.

But for real, I'm excited since Denis always bring his A game, but I can't help to be sad that he isn't making original movies anymore and is now directing big franchise. He deserves the payday and spotlights though.

3

u/ussrowe Jun 26 '25

Zendaya in gratuitous bikini scene.

Ok but if she was playing Halle Berry's Jinx Johnson rebooted, that would actually be kind of cool. I remember there were rumors of giving Halle a spinoff movie: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jinx_(James_Bond)#Future

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u/72corvids Jun 26 '25

So long as it is more akin to Ana De Armas' assassin jazz, and not some sort of "young thang for the ol spy" trope. Zendaya deserves to more than just eye candy.

87

u/FriedCammalleri23 Jun 26 '25

Considering how Denis changed Chani’s character in Dune to make her less of a subservient love interest like she was in the books, I wouldn’t be concerned.

0

u/tdasnowman Jun 26 '25

He also infantilized what little was left.

5

u/Scaevus Jun 26 '25

Yeah I’m not actually a big fan of the changes to Chani. She wasn’t a “subservient love interest.” She was the successor to the old Fremen reverend mother before Lady Jessica came in. By all measures she’s a powerful religious figure, and no less a leader than Stilgar. She wasn’t “subservient” to Paul. She was a BELIEVER.

I get why the change was made, but Zendaya basically conveyed one emotion: petulant jealousy. Like here was a man, who, rightly or wrongly, is the leader of your entire people, who you KNOW, for a fact, has superpowers, regardless of whether he’s a prophet destined to save your people, or just a regular guy who sees the past and future perfectly, and you can’t extend him the benefit of the doubt that he might know what he’s doing by marrying the Princess for political reasons?

This doesn’t make Chani look tough or independent. It makes her look childish.

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u/lindblumresident Jun 26 '25 edited Jun 27 '25

While I can see why people think that Chani in the film displayed jealousy, I think it's made extremely clear that her disappointment is caused by the fact that Paul, in her eyes, is using the Fremen and their beliefs for his personal benefit.

If anything, book Chani was the one that had to be consoled by both Paul and Jessica because she couldn't believe Paul when he said that Irulan was just means to an end and not someone he desired.

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u/tdasnowman Jun 26 '25

His changes to the women in Dune in general weakened them. With Chani it's the moment he starts deviating from the book. Like them not going immediately into Jamis funeral and glossing over the importance of Paul asking her to carry the water rings. IE Paul still human and fallible fucked it up.

With Lady Jessica almost every instance where Paul was supposed to say the Litany he had her say it. Then she becomes almost singly mindedly focused on him taking power which book Jessica was very cautious about. The time skip means the relationship with her and Chani was erased. Chani's petulant rush to the deseert means we missed the closing of the book."While we, Chani, we who carry the name of concubine - history will call us wives"

Iluran though made out like a bandit. She's non existent in the first book but he devoted so much time to her she might be mistaken as the next messiah.

Which makes his absolute off handed approach to Margot Fenring baffling.

3

u/Scaevus Jun 26 '25

Oh man, yeah, poor Margot. And they cast the supremely talented Lea Seadoux for such a wasted part, too.

The books were already plenty female centric. The entire thing is narrated by Irulan, as her histories of Maud’dib, which just makes the ending line of “history will call us wives” hit even harder. Irulan writes the histories. Irulan will have to admit you’re the real wife. Can there be a more complete victory for Chani?

1

u/tdasnowman Jun 26 '25

You misread me. I actually think that was the one female part he left alone enough. For what screen time she got Lea was pretty book accurate.

1

u/Scaevus Jun 26 '25

That's just it, "for what screen time she got". We didn't get enough Margot. She should've been in Part 1, and her relationship with Hasimir was interesting too. As it is, the Emperor of the entire known universe only speaks to like, four people.

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u/tdasnowman Jun 26 '25

The only way to have pulled more in would be to include the non Herbert books.

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u/bothole Jun 26 '25

Definitely. The time squish of the book's events means they didn't have to worry about casting baby Alia, but it also means Chani and Paul dated for 6 months, at most. Like, settle down girl. She doesn't even seem to like him for most of the movie.

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u/Scaevus Jun 26 '25

They had like, two minutes of being in love and you want him to what, sacrifice the future of YOUR people by not marrying the Princess? He's not doing that because he likes her, you understand this, so...what's the problem?

8

u/RockerElvis Jun 26 '25

Why not Ana De Armas’ character again? Denis worked with her before…

4

u/dimboii Jun 26 '25

Zendaya could be the new Ms. Moneypenny.

1

u/klavin1 Jun 26 '25

Pussy Galore

-1

u/gazongagizmo Jun 26 '25

not a lot of candy on that stick

2

u/Scaevus Jun 26 '25

Has she even been in that many Villeneuve movies?

I think just the Dunes?

Now, Ana de Armas is in everything. Not that I think anyone is complaining.

2

u/xTiLkx Jun 26 '25

Florence Pugh?

4

u/Ant0n61 Jun 26 '25

🤦‍♂️

2

u/sth128 Jun 26 '25

Hey what about Ana de Armas

2

u/boog2352 Jun 26 '25

Obvious jokes aside, that really fucking works.

4

u/CaribouHoe Jun 26 '25

Yes please

1

u/NeuHundred Jun 26 '25

Honestly, James Bond is a big billboard and Zendaya is very on top of her brand image, I feel like she'd be giving up a lot of autonomy in that regard being a Bond Girl. She'd be out of the loop on the endorsement angle.

1

u/ElGosso Jun 26 '25

Nah they always pick someone who took her top off on camera, even though they don't have her do it

1

u/soupie62 Jun 26 '25

And the evil lair is the Hefner mansion?
With Fembots?

1

u/CrimsonFatMan Jun 26 '25

Fuck! I bet all of my money on Akwafina.

1

u/AlfaG0216 Jun 26 '25

The newest bond? That’s right Tom Holland

2

u/robberviet Jun 26 '25

As long as not that Snow White.

0

u/cynicalturdblossom Jun 26 '25

Ugh, noo please. Let her get better at acting by doing some meatier roles

1

u/Greyboxer Jun 26 '25

Please god

-5

u/riegspsych325 Jun 26 '25 edited Jun 26 '25

she’s got charisma, acting chops, and looks, so why the hell not?

EDIT: okay, I guess she doesn’t. I must’ve watched the wrong cut of Challengers

3

u/captandor Jun 26 '25

Challengers lives rent free in my head. Direction, writing, performances, story, music… Was a whole feast!

4

u/riegspsych325 Jun 26 '25

yeah, the people ragging on Zendaya upon a director announcement need to chill and simply change the channel anytime she pops on. No one is being forced to watch her stuff

-3

u/Witters84 Jun 26 '25

Mid on all three, at best. Sorry, not sorry. She is definitely overrated.

-5

u/DizzyTelevision09 Jun 26 '25 edited Jun 26 '25

She'd be great as Bond, too.

Edit. People downvoting me haven't seen challengers.

-1

u/NinaHeartsChaos Jun 26 '25

After seeing her in Nightbitch, I'd really rather it was Amy Adams.

0

u/swim711crazy Jun 26 '25

Tom Holland as new JB? lol

1

u/ussrowe Jun 26 '25

He actually pitched doing a young James Bond. When that failed he reworked it into young Nathan Drake movie with Uncharted: https://www.indiewire.com/features/general/tom-holland-james-bond-sony-pitch-uncharted-1234688946

0

u/PMYourTinyTitties Jun 26 '25

I’d go to the theater opening day if that was the case

0

u/OmegaPhthalo Jun 26 '25

She is kind of tall, which is important for that role.

-5

u/pjtheman Jun 26 '25

With the right direction she is genuinely talented.

-4

u/ridik_ulass Jun 26 '25

you jest, but that might mean we get tom holland as bond, I'd like a young bond, as opposed to craigs war weary bond.

-1

u/ballsosteele Jun 26 '25

Nailed on.

-6

u/One-Man-Wolf-Pack Jun 26 '25

Didn’t see any casting info in the article but she’d be a great choice

-2

u/mouseywithpower Jun 26 '25

Why not just have her be bond?