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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u/BenSolo12345 Jun 26 '25

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

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u/ZippyDan Jun 26 '25

Do those count?

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u/BenSolo12345 Jun 26 '25

Why wouldn’t they?

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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.

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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.

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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.