\n\tJames Bond will return\u2026<\/p>\n
\n\tWell, 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<\/a> to direct the next installment. Given Villeneuve\u2019s success with the \u201cDune\u201d films, the move was widely praised, as was the decision to enlist \u201cPeaky Blinders\u201d creator Steven Knight to pen the script. <\/p>\n \n\tNow Villeneuve and producers Amy Pascal and David Heyman face their next big hurdle \u2014 finding the right actor to slip into Bond\u2019s tux. But executives at Amazon MGM Studios weren\u2019t about to reveal who they are leaning towards asking to join Her Majesty\u2019s Secret Service while presenting their upcoming film slate to cinema owners at CinemaCon<\/a> on Wednesday night. <\/p>\n \n\t\u201cNow, I know you\u2019re all wondering when we\u2019re going to announce who\u2019s playing James Bond,\u201d Courtenay Valenti, head of film at Amazon MGM Studios, said. \u201cDon\u2019t get too excited. Please know that we\u2019re 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\u2019s a responsibility we don\u2019t take lightly.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cWhat 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\u2019re setting the stage for something that\u2019s truly worthy of the Bond legacy,\u201d Valenti added. \u201cThat film is coming, and when the time is right, we\u2019ll have much more to share.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tSpeculation has been rampant, with everyone from Jacob Elordi to Callum Turner to Louis Partridge rumored to be in line to receive a certain someone\u2019s 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 \u201cSkyfall\u201d and \u201cCasino Royale,\u201d were critical and commercial high points for the series. But he hung up Bond\u2019s Walther\u00a0PPK permanently with 2021\u2019s \u201cNo Time to Die,\u201d heading off to join the other lady-killing, martini-swilling superspies in the cinematic heavens.<\/p>\n