Amazon Boss on James Bond Actor Search:: ‘We’re Taking the Time’

James Bond will return…

Well, at some point. Amazon MGM Studios gave the barest of updates on the next 007 film. The studio, which recently took over creative control of the spy franchise, has hired Denis Villeneuve to direct the next installment. Given Villeneuve’s success with the “Dune” films, the move was widely praised, as was the decision to enlist “Peaky Blinders” creator Steven Knight to pen the script.

Now Villeneuve and producers Amy Pascal and David Heyman face their next big hurdle — finding the right actor to slip into Bond’s tux. But executives at Amazon MGM Studios weren’t about to reveal who they are leaning towards asking to join Her Majesty’s Secret Service while presenting their upcoming film slate to cinema owners at CinemaCon on Wednesday night.

“Now, I know you’re all wondering when we’re going to announce who’s playing James Bond,” Courtenay Valenti, head of film at Amazon MGM Studios, said. “Don’t get too excited. Please know that we’re taking the time to do this with care and deep respect. It is the dream of a lifetime for all of us to bring audiences this next chapter, and it’s a responsibility we don’t take lightly.”

“What I can tell you is this: when you pair one of the most beloved franchises in history with a world-class filmmaking team, including the brilliant director Denis Villeneuve, extraordinary producers Amy Pascal and David Heyman, executive producer Tanya Lapointe, and screenwriter Steven Knight, you’re setting the stage for something that’s truly worthy of the Bond legacy,” Valenti added. “That film is coming, and when the time is right, we’ll have much more to share.”

Speculation has been rampant, with everyone from Jacob Elordi to Callum Turner to Louis Partridge rumored to be in line to receive a certain someone’s license to kill. Whoever gets the role will have big shoes to fill. Daniel Craig was widely considered to be one of the greatest Bonds in history, right up there alongside Sean Connery. His run of five films, which included “Skyfall” and “Casino Royale,” were critical and commercial high points for the series. But he hung up Bond’s Walther PPK permanently with 2021’s “No Time to Die,” heading off to join the other lady-killing, martini-swilling superspies in the cinematic heavens.

Amazon would dearly love to make Bond 26 a must-see. Control of the action series was a major reason why the company shelled out more than $8 billion to buy MGM Studios in 2022. In the spectrum of Bond adventures, that means that Villeneuve better deliver something closer to “Goldfinger” than “A View to a Kill.”