Léa Seydoux has expressed her sadness that the James Bond franchise has been acquired by Amazon, but also shown her support for the next film’s director, Denis Villeneuve.
READ MORE: ‘No Time To Die’ review: Daniel Craig’s surprisingly emotional final fling
The company bought film studio MGM in 2022, a deal that included distribution rights to the Bond series. Then, last year, they entered an agreement with long-time Bond producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson, giving Amazon creative control of the franchise. The Broccoli/Wilson family still remain co-owners of the Bond IP, but the new deal means Amazon control its creative destiny.
The new stewards of the franchise are now moving ahead with the 26th Bond film, directed by Villeneuve from a script by Steven Knight (Peaky Blinders). No further details have been shared, but Amazon MGM Studios did recently announce that casting for the new 007 has begun.
Seydoux played a significant part in the latter Daniel Craig films, playing love interest Madeleine Swann in 2015’s Spectre and Craig’s final film, No Time To Die, released in 2021. She has also worked with Villeneuve on Dune: Part Two, and told Variety that her disappointment about Amazon’s control was tempered by her learning that the French-Canadian filmmaker will be at the helm of the new film.
“I was a bit sad when I heard that it was sold,” she said, “but now that it’s Denis, I was like, ‘Oh, at least it’s him, so it will be cinema.’” Of the man himself, she said: “He’s super cultured — he knows so much about cinema, but not only cinema.”
Recently, it was revealed that You actor Tom Francis has reportedly auditioned to play James Bond. Elsewhere, composer David Arnold spoke to NME about working with Lana Del Rey for the new 007 game First Light.
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