Denis Villeneuve is top of Daniel Craig’s personal director wish list for James Bond 25, according to a new report. It’s still early days for the next entry in the long-running series; it was only recently confirmed Craig would return for the fifth and final time, and the film doesn’t even have a title or firm release date yet.

Numerous rumors have appeared surrounding the film though, with one recent report claiming the film would be called Shatterhand, and the villain would be blind. Earlier this month, another report surfaced and claimed the story would follow a retired Bond seeking revenge for his wife’s murder, and the film would be the Taken of the Bond franchise. Apparently, Beyonce is also the frontrunner to record the film's theme song.

Now another unconfirmed report has arrived courtesy of The Daily Mail, stating Daniel Craig is eager to bring the acclaimed Denis Villeneuve on to direct. This is hardly surprising if true, as Villeneuve has been on something of a career hot streak in the last five years. His next film is the eagerly awaited Blade Runner 2049, and prior to that, he directed the Oscar-nominated Arrival, taut thriller Sicario, mind-twisting drama Enemy and the acclaimed Prisoners.

Denis Villeneuve Arrival

Villeneuve is currently attached to the long-gestating remake of Dune - a movie he dubbed "The project of my life" - but if he chose to accept the director’s chair for Bond 25 that would certainly get fans excited. Craig has worked with a unique line-up of director for his Bond movies; from Martin Campbell on Casino Royale, Marc Forster on Quantum Of Solace (with mixed results) to Sam Mendes on both Skyfall and Spectre. Craig and Mendes seem to have formed a close partnership working together, but the director ruled himself out of returning for another entry. Previous to the Villeneuve report, ’71 director Yann Demange appeared to the frontrunner for the job.

Earlier this month, Bond producer Barbara Broccoli also spoke of the possibility of a female director helming the next outing; this would be a first for the series, and would certainly give the next movie a different feel. At the present time, it’s important to take all of those reports and rumors with a generous dose of salt. James Bond 25 is still in its early stages of development, and its likely concrete information about the storyline, cast and director won’t emerge for at least another few months.

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Source: The Daily Mail

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