Posted in: Amazon MGM Studios, Movies | Tagged: james bond

James Bond: Amazon MGM Is Only Just Now Starting The Casting Process

Amazon MGM Studios has released a statement saying they are only just now beginning the casting process for the new James Bond.

It's been a hot minute since we heard anything solid about the new James Bond films. Amazon MGM name dropped it during CinemaCon and then proceeded to share absolutely nothing in the way of new information. Back in September, we heard that casting wouldn't even begin until director Denis Villeneuve had completely wrapped on Dune: Part Three, which also makes complete sense. You're talking about one major project and heading directly into another that will have just as many eyeballs on it, if not more.

That hasn't stopped an absolutely endless stream of casting speculation posts that started the day the buyout was confirmed and have been going strong ever since. Amazon MGM Studios put out a statement that isn't putting us out of that casting speculation hell hole, but it does make all of those posts look a lot less legit because, according to the studio, they are only just now beginning the casting process for a new James Bond.

"The search for the next James Bond is underway. While we don't plan to comment on specific details during the casting process, we're excited to share more news with 007 fans as soon as the time is right," the studio wrote in an image shared to social media.

The other thing we can take from this announcement is that if they are starting the James Bond casting process, then Villeneuve must have either wrapped post-production or be very close to it for Dune: Part Three. Sounds like good news all around, even if the casting speculation hell is about to do what is the film journalism version of a soft reboot and start all over again. We can hope they are sticking to what was reported early on and casting an unknown. If you know the actor's name and they have a professional headshot on the internet, that's too well-known, go for someone no one has ever heard of. We dare you.

Denis Villeneuve Directing James Bond 26 Is Promising

We learned that Villeneuve would direct the next James Bond film on June 25th, thus ending one round of endless speculation surrounding the film. At the time of the announcement, Villeneuve said (via Variety), "Some of my earliest movie-going memories are connected to 007. I grew up watching James Bond films with my father, ever since 'Dr. No' with Sean Connery. I'm a die-hard Bond fan. To me, he's sacred territory. I intend to honor the tradition and open the path for many new missions to come. This is a massive responsibility, but also incredibly exciting for me and a huge honor. Amy, David, and I are absolutely thrilled to bring him back to the screen. Thank you to Amazon MGM Studios for their trust."

The reception to James Bond leaving Eon Production and the control of producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli was mixed at the time. People assumed that Amazon would lean into its worst instincts and immediately greenlight spinoff television shows and whatnot. Right now, it's still unclear whether or not they will end up going down that road; movie studios are going to movie studios after all, but these last two additions seem to be heading in positive directions.

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